Not a little boy game: One fisherman's risky bet on menhaden
Josh Taylor's life on the water started young. At just 15, he was already learning the ropes on a small shrimp trawler, navigating familiar waters off tiny community of North River, just outside of Beaufort, N.C. But within five years, the lure of something bigger called him to the Gulf Coast. He'd gained the experience needed to crew aboard a 172-foot menhaden ship — a world away from the smaller, more intimate shrimp trawlers he knew.
Nets bursting with thousands of pounds of fish, the scale of menhaden fishing is a different beast altogether. As Josh put it, "You know, it's not no little boy game out there." The stakes are higher, the challenges greater. On a shrimp trawler, a wrong move might impact a couple of crew members. Sixteen work aboard a menhaden ship. It's a demanding life, both mentally and physically, but it’s a life Taylor chose.
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This story is part of NC Catch’s “Recognizing African American Participation in the North Carolina Seafood Industry” project. North Carolina’s Black seafood business community has partnered with researchers in this historic project conceived by NC Catch to build understanding of the vital role African Americans and people of color play in the state’s seafood industry. Narratives, video and oral histories tell the stories of Black fishers, wholesalers, chefs and others working in seafood. A N.C. Sea Grant 2024 Community Collaborative Research Grant has helped fund the project.
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While many North Carolina shrimpers struggle against mounting criticism and dwindling wholesale prices – undercut by a flood of imported shrimp – the menhaden industry has proven remarkably resilient. This small, oily fish has a long and storied history, supporting Americans since colonial times, including Black families well before the Civil War.
From its early days as a source of lamp oil and fertilizer, menhaden's uses have evolved. Today, it still contributes to agriculture, but also provides bait for recreational fishing, finds its way into cat food and even forms the basis of popular Omega 3 health supplements. It's a vital ingredient in aquaculture, too, feeding the salmon that populate fish farms.
For Taylor, soon to be a new father at 25, menhaden fishing offered something increasingly rare in the commercial fishing industry: stability. It initially meant relocating to Mississippi. Eventually, Taylor found a Virginia-based vessel that brought him closer to family. "The money is decent," he said. "You get benefits. A 401(k), health, dental, vision. It's pretty nice.”
But fishing is more than work for Taylor. It's his passion. "I fish to make money. Like, that's my job. And that's something I love to do. I mean, a lot of people can’t say that.”
Taylor shared his story during a 2024 interview with NC Catch’s “Recognizing African American Participation in the North Carolina Seafood Industry” project team. The following excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.
Sounds like your whole career has been in commercial fishing.
Pretty much. I never punched a clock.
You were shrimping when you got a call one day from Willis Baily, originally from Morehead City, N.C., to join his menhaden crew in Mississippi.
I have another cousin that worked for Willis Baily. And, Baily needed a man. Thank God, my cousin sent him my number. Willis called a couple of the shrimpers and captains and asked about me. That's how I got with him. So, I stayed with him for three years.
These days your employer is Omega Protein in Reedville, Va. You’re working Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay aboard the Windmill Point, which puts your job closer to family in North Carolina. That’s been one in a series of life changes for you, including shifting from shrimping local waters around your home in Carteret County’s North River community to working menhaden boats. Did you like the change?
Yeah, but I guess it has pros and cons. I mean, you know, you're out in the water. Down south (in the Gulf of Mexico) fishing is a lot different than up north (off North Carolina). Down south, you're out a whole week. Up north, it might be two or three days and come back in and go back out. You're dealing with 16 men and 16 different personalities and stuff (on a large menhaden boat), and that's a lot to deal with, especially people with less patience than others.
What is your job on a menhaden boat?
A ring setter. It’s more mental. People think it’s easy, but I control the net coming in. So, I have to do a lot of reading with the corks and the ring line, and everything. People think it's easy, but it's not because you have to know how to read the net. Once you know how to read the net, you're alright. And sometimes that doesn't even work. I'm working with something that could kill you. So, very, very, very mentally frustrating sometimes.
(The seine net used in menhaden fishing has a series of rings attached to the bottom edge. A rope, known as the purse line, runs through these rings. The ring setter is responsible for managing this purse line during the net deployment and retrieval. Once the net has been set around a school of menhaden, the ring setter, along with other crew members, begins to pull on the purse line. This action draws the rings together, effectively closing the bottom of the net like a drawstring bag. This "pursing" action traps the fish inside the net.)
Is there just one ring setter?
You have one ring setter on the captain’s boat and one in the mate boat. I’m on the captain’s boat.
(Two boats work together to harvest menhaden. Both the captain and mate's boat set and haul the seine net, but each has its own responsibilities. The captain's boat is the overall command of the fishing operation. The captain is responsible for locating menhaden schools and navigating the boats to the fishing grounds. The captain also directs deployment of the seine net, coordinates actions of both boats to effectively encircle and capture the fish and maintains communication with the mate's boat, relaying instructions and information. The mate's boat is crucial in handling the seine net, assisting in its deployment, pursing and hauling. The mate's crew collaborates closely with the captain's crew to ensure the net is set and retrieved efficiently, providing updates on the net's position and the progress of the fishing operation.)
How is the money? Working for a company, as opposed to being an independent commercial fisherman, do you get benefits?
It's pretty decent. I mean, as far as my future goes, I want to expand and be the best I can be as far as making the most I could out of it. And if that doesn't work, you know, I have to find something else I can do. But the money is decent. You get benefits. I got a 401(k), health insurance, dental, vision. All that is included. So yeah, it's pretty nice.
Both Atlantic menhaden and Gulf menhaden typically run from spring through fall, with state, interstate and federal regulations dictating fishing seasons. Being employed by Omega Protein, when you’re not able to fish can you collect unemployment?
You can but for the first three years, I had hard trouble setting it up. And I've never had the patience. When I come home, I oyster or try to keep fishing or something.
What is the hardest part of your job?
When you're setting rings, it's alright when you don't have a lot of fish. But when you have a big set, got about 800,000, 900,000 or a million fish, it gets very, very frustrating. That's a lot of fish, and you got to think about it. A fish spill could easily shut us down. So I’m dealing with that many fish, compared to a person that's setting seine or doing the bunt pile. That's all the work.
(Setting seine on a menhaden boat refers to the process of deploying the large net, called a “seine,” to encircle a school of menhaden fish. The "bunt pile" on a menhaden fishing boat refers to a large mass of menhaden fish that have been caught in the net and are concentrated in a specific area, usually towards the stern of the boat. This pile is created as the crew hauls in the net, effectively "bunting" the fish together. The bunt pile is a crucial part of the menhaden fishing process, as it allows the crew to efficiently pump the fish from the net into the hold of the boat. The density of the fish in the bunt pile makes this process quicker and easier.)
But we have to save the fish. If you don't save the fish and rip the net, or anything happens. I mean, we have to clean all these fish up. I think that would be the worst of all of it.
What do you like most about your work?
I love to fish. I just think about…I fish to make money. Like, that's my job. And that's something I love to do. I mean, a lot of people can’t say that. I love coming to the steamer…filling up the boat and making $2,000 in a day.
Where do you stay when you’re in North Carolina?
I used to stay in North River, but now I stay in Maysville with my girlfriend. We got a house and a farm out there. So, it's pretty nice.
Do you have any relatives that have worked in the menhaden fishery?
My grandfather and his brother, but I think they fished out of New Jersey. It was something out there in New Jersey that I read. But I don't think anything like down south.
Did your dad fish?
Oh no, he just builds boats for Jones Brothers (in Morehead City, N.C.). He used to work for Hatteras (Sportfish Yachts in Hatteras, N.C.).
When you come home, are your neighbors proud of you? Do they ask you questions about how the fishery is going?
All the time. All the time. I caught an Uber the other day because I carpool (to Reedville, Va.). I was telling her (the driver) about my job. And she was fascinated. She was, ‘You don't meet many people who does that anymore!’
She was familiar with menhaden fishing?
Yes, because menhaden oil is used to make omega (nutritional supplements), you know.
Are you enjoying Virginia more than working the Gulf of Mexico when you were on the Mississippi-based boat?
I come home more, but as far as financially, I made more money down there. But I get to see my family more (working) in Virginia. That means a lot, especially when I have a daughter. We’re going to name her Kinsley.
You talked about knowing just two Black captains in the menhaden fishery, one in Mississippi and one in Virginia. Do you feel like there's any challenges with being a person of color in commercial fishing?
I don't know. I don't…that's no comment. I'd rather not speak upon that. Just because, I don't know; I've never had a problem with it.
Who are your mentors? Who has really helped you out, showing you the ropes?
Willis Baily. That's my buddy. I love him to death. He was really, really, really hard on me. But now I see why. Now, I'm kind of advanced and I know a lot of my stuff. Only been fishing a couple years. Fellas in the boat been fishing 20, 30 years know half the stuff I know. I'm very educated when it comes to pogie (another name for menhaden) fishing.
Do you hope to be a captain one day?
That's a question I ask myself every day, and I don't know. I talked to this old fella from Louisiana. He was about 60 years old. He told me fishing, he loves it. But he missed a lot of summers and a lot of time from a lot of family events, a lot of births, a lot... and he'd never get it back. It's a big, big decision. You miss a lot, miss a lot, but I mean, that's the only downfall about it. But other than that, I would love to be a captain. But I don't know. He told me that and it kind of opened my eyes because you're 60 years old and your life was gone. All he did was fish. And, you know, you miss a whole lot of everything. I don't know. I mean, I would love to be a captain for a few years, but as far as, you know, 20, 30 years, I couldn't see myself doing that.
You have a chief license now instead of a captain’s license.
Yeah. I'm just trying to figure out if I should go that (captain’s license) route or not. I mean, because I feel like a chief license makes (you) just as much (money) with less responsibility.
You get a chief mechanic's license, you can work on a pogie boat, on a tug, on a dredge. Everybody needs a chief mechanic. Once you get that, you get paid $600, $650 a day. There's many things I have to decide for my future, and what's best for me and my girlfriend.
Do you think you'll ever want to go back to work with Baily? Move your family down to Mississippi?
Maybe. But I don't know. I feel like family is more important. And that's what Willis was trying to get through my head. He missed his child's birth, too. So, I mean, it comes with a lot of prices, becoming a captain. And of course, you're accountable for 16 men when you leave that dock. That's a lot of responsibility. It's not just about fishing when you're a captain. And you know, anything can happen. And it's all upon you. So, it's very stressful.
Would you recommend working on menhaden boats?
As a punishment.
Why do you say that?
You find yourself. You're on your own. You're around a whole bunch of grown men. At that age, when you're 18, you're legally a grown man. And you either tuck your tail or you can be a man about certain situations. You know, it's not no little boy game out there. So, you know, there's going to be things that they say that hurt your feelings and whether you react to it or not, it's up to you to physically and mentally prepare yourself for a lot of situations you're gonna go through that season.
You got heat, now you got cold. You're gonna wake up not when you want to but when you have to. If my son wants to be a Billy Badass, I will definitely send him to do that. But you know, as far as going to college and getting a degree and being a doctor or something? Way much better.
You deal with a lot (menhaden fishing). Especially down south. You’ve got Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, so you got language barriers. You got a lot going on fishing in 100-degree weather. It teaches you a lot. Mentally or physically, a lot of people can't handle that work.
So, if you ever decide that you no longer want to be away from your family for chunks of time while you’re fishing, what would you do? Stick to commercial fishing or find something completely different?
Probably tugboat. Dredge. As long as it's on the water.
You’ve said that despite the challenges of working on menhaden boats, that you love it and that you’re always trying to move up to the next level. You’ve come a long way in a brief time, and you seem determined to keep moving forward.
I'm not satisfied with the financials where I'm at now, and never will be. But you know, hopefully one day I'll be satisfied enough to where I can enjoy life more. I got a lot of work to do as far as consistency. Once I get that down pat, I feel like I can be the best…going 110%.
You know, those are the captains that are awesome captains. Willis goes 110% every day, every day. Tom in Virginia, 100%. Every day. And it pays off…I mean, stuff don't come easy. You got to work for it. You do get lucky and get handouts, but I don't know, I'd rather work for it because then nobody can say ‘that got handed to him.’
I love when people will say ‘He worked his ass off for that position. He earned it.’
Journalist Liz Biro wrote this report in 2025 based on a 2024 interview by Barbara Garrity-Blake. Photo by MasterMind Photography.
