The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-11-02
AGED FISHERMAN
IN SWANSBORO Is
ACTIVE ALTHO rs
Howard Lewis is Farmer Too;
Grows Wafermelons and is
Teller Of Tales
By WADE LUCAS

fishermen with whom he pulls 9
strong tug on gill net, or who
can mend net with the best in
the business, do not regard him
as man who is rs years of age
The man in question is Howard
Lewis and he does not look toe
kindly upon those who say toe
loudly that he is ian old man."
AS years go, though, Howard
Lewis is getting along, but to
watch him work as commercial
fisherman in efforts being made
to catch the elusive mullet, spots,
bluefish, and mackerel in the At
lantic Ocean one would never,
never think this big man has hit
the rs mark in age.
Lewis lived some ten miles or
so north Of here on the banks of
Bogue Sound. He is a combina-
ton fisherman and watermelon
grower. He also grows some corn
and potatoes.
But for more than so years he
has been a commercial fisherman
and it is his great love. That is
what he told Hubert P. Williams,
a Raleigh developer, and this
writer when they became acquaint-
ed with Lewis as he worked with
other commercial fishermen on
Atlantic Beach.
Commercial fishing sure has
changed in the more than 80 years
/ have tinkered around with it,"
Lewis said. 1--WE just don't catch
as many fish as we used to and
the. reason is that there are just
too derned many people fishing"
No Pessimist
Howard Lewis, though, is no
pessimist. In fact, one might we'll
call him an optimist despite the
fact he, like other commercial
fishermen, is inclined to grumble
when the mullet, spots and other
fish elude the net set for them.
"I'm not complaining too MUCH"
Lewis added. "The Lord has been
good to me. He has helped me get
along. My health is pretty good
and I can still work with the rest"
And he can, too. Hubert Will
liams marveled time and again as
he watched Lewis wade out into
the Atlantic Ocean and pull just
as strongly and as steadily as fish
ermen 25 and 80 years his junior.
"A most remarkable man." Will
liams said.
Like many other commercial
fishermen-and there are some
$4,000 or more of them and their
families living along the North
Carolina coast who depend wholly
or in part on commercial fishing
for their livelihood-Lewis is
anxious to see plans developed for
processing and packaging more Of
the States seafood products.
He says he likes what the De-
partment of Conservation and De-
velopment is trying to do in get
ting some person or persons TO
set up central processing plant
to process and package seafood
products so they can be spread
out over period of months in
stead of having to be sold mostly
on what is known as "the daily
fresh market"
Lewis believes there is future
in smoked mullets. He and Will
liams talked over this and agreed
that such a business is practical.
Others are of like mind, too.
Teller of Tales
The tales that Lewis can and
will tell about commercial fishing
along North Cardinals extensive
coast line are legion. Just get hun
started. He is hard to stop.
Lewis is member of crew of
commercial fishermen. Most of
them fish commercially during the
fishing season. In other months
they farm and do whatever work
they can get.
Commercial fishermen, Lewis
says, know they are in what he
calls IAN up and down-mostly
down-kind of business"
He means there are days when
no fish to amount to anything are
caught. He is currently member
of crew working for Gordon C.
Willis, a Morehead City fish
dealer.
Prices Fluctuate
Willis, like other dealers, pays
the best prices he can. But it is q
matter of simple economics that,
with limited storage facilities,
large catches of mullets, spots, and
other fish result in price drops.
Like, for example, the other day
when crew hauled in some 49,
600 pounds of mullet and spots in
a single haul.
However, up at Atlantic, east