North Carolina Rising

Preserving Coastal Traditions

Q&A with Robin Payne

Robin Payne, project developer, Ocracoke Foundation and Ocracoke Working Waterman's Association

Q. What is your relationship with the fish house? Your history?

A. I moved to Ocracoke Island from Washington, D.C. six years ago and I have a background in historic preservation and a soft spot for the island culture. I immediately became involved in a number of organizations on the island and began to find funding for a number of projects. I was successful in building relationships with project funders and supporters in North Carolina, and one day some of the fishermen approached me with their problem. One of the two fish houses closed for good, and the last one was not going to reopen and was put up for sale .

There are many fulltime fishermen, but more are part-time now, because they need to subsidize their incomes. When you're a fisherman, you do it because you love it. They do it all by hand on small boats. It's a tough, but beautiful, way of life. I fell full-speed into the project. It started with just a couple fishermen, then it grew to more and more fishermen and we all began brainstorming. My idea was to go ahead and start a nonprofit, and then we could initiate the development of the OWWA and the nonprofit that would become the parent of the Ocracoke Seafood Company. We did it with a lot of drive and support, and the support of local government and state.

Q. Did you have grant-writing experience before this?

A. This was all new when I moved to Ocracoke. Took many courses and received help from people with experience. I definitely did not do it all on my own, I just had the time to get it done. And it was such a worthwhile project that once it gained momentum, it couldn't be stopped.

If I had to summarize why it was successful, it was to save commercial fishing jobs, but also a quest to save the maritime culture on Ocracoke. We awakened community ties. It was an example of what other coastal towns were facing. It also represented what a community can do with the resources and assets they have, and use them responsibly to turn it into an industry.

We are also educating the traveling public about the local fisherman are working to preserve the environment. When they go out everyday, they can tell the subtle changes in the water and the environment, by the way the fish look, their patterns of movement, water quality. Like I said, this is not just a quest to save jobs, but to preserve the environment and the social heritage.

Q. What role did the community play in supporting the Fish House and securing the grant from the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center?

A. Senator Basnight understood that because Ocracoke is so isolated, we're also way behind the times. What makes us so special also hurts us sometimes. Representative Tim Spear and Senator A.B. Swindell were also behind us 100-percent and put a lot of energy into it. Our project also came about when the state developed a waterfront access committee, so it was obvious that we were not the only ones facing this issue. And, there are other industries on the island facing the same issues, but we can't just keep starting nonprofits to save each of them. Everyone is exhausted from the managing efforts needed to run these very needed organizations that keep the island running.

The Ocracoke Foundation was developed at the same time as the fish house project. We established the OWWA and the Seafood Company. We also received an FCC license for a non-commercial community radio station for citizen. And, we're working on education, such as classes on water quality, wetlands, birding, and the history of the island and the fishing industry. History is still alive here in Ocracoke. When people look at pictures from the past, it changes their perspective when they can actually relate it to the present. It's reconnecting people with their roots. In that way, fishing brings generations together, and teaches people about their own history and where they came from.

Q. What role does education and skill development play in this project?

A. Education is our best marketing tool. This year's seafood festival in Morehead City really showed that. At the festival, fishermen cook the seafood for the public and tell stories. There were thousands of people there this year to learn and eat. I think we cooked about 200 drum cakes!

We're also getting ready to offer formal classes. We leased a space on the waterfront that will be a waterman's display. Groups can sign up to learn about local oyster beds, like why didn't they repopulate themselves, why there are so many oyster beds in the waters surrounding Ocracoke. Then we'll take groups out to look at the clam beds and test the water quality. We'll have a number of exhibits that will be ready by tourist season.

The fish house welcomes people to come and watch the fishermen, take photos of the birds, fishermen, and seafood. It's a living experience, not a reenactment. In our renovation this winter, we'll also be installing a window in the retail so people can safely watch even more. We're also connecting local teachers with traditions so they can go back and share with their students.

As for skill development, you really have to have a love for it. It's not something you just pick it up in a day. We have training for the fishermen in which we bring in professionals to teach about things like sanitation and proper temperatures, and to keep them up to date with industry regulations. But as for skill development, each waterman is unique in his or her own way and they have been taught by their ancestors. We can't teach them anything about skill!

In developing future watermen, it's important to remember that in the past 5 to 15 years, any father who had sons or daughters who wanted to be fishermen discouraged them from doing so, because the industry wasn't going anywhere. Now, that there is a secure and dedicated base of operations that can compete in the market, with the latest equipment and marketing endeavors, it's a much more viable option for people who want to pursue it. That's the turning point. There are a few boys, about 11- to 14-years old, who come by after school and work during the summers. Their families are from Ocracoke, and they love fishing. If they decide they want to be fishermen, there is a place for them to do it. They wouldn't be out on their own, which would be an impossible situation for anyone these day.

Q. Is funding provided by any organizations beside the NC Rural Economic Development Center?

A. Many things happened in tandem. We were trying to address numerous needs within the community and had different needs for funding. As we began developing the Ocracoke Foundation nonprofit, the fish house threat came about and we kick-started the OWWA. The mission of the Ocracoke Foundation is to assist the community with its social, economic, infrastructure and educational needs. One of its roles is to assist local groups to get started or to house them under our umbrella permanently. We felt that the fishermen's mission was so complex, that it was best to house them permanently within our structure. The Ocracoke Foundation is a public charity. It assists the OWWA with its educational responsibilities and with its continued mission of preserving the watermen tradition. For this mission to sustain itself, we needed not to rely on donations.

The Ocracoke Seafood Company was created to sell wholesale and retail fresh local seafood. It is a for-profit subsidiary of the Ocracoke Foundation with all the profits being put back into Ocracoke Seafood Company. Since selling fish is not directly related to our mission as a public charity, the Ocracoke Seafood Company needed to be its own corporation, a sub-chapter C. The Foundation does not utilize donated funds to manage the business. On the occasion that there is an emergency, a capital investment is made. Grant funds work the same way, as a capital investment. Donated funds are used for education and outreach. The business is managed by the watermen. They elect directors and oversee the day-to-day business. The Foundation takes care of the educational side. This was a complicated process so we utilized the help of a lawyer to make sure we were going about it correctly from the start.

The funding avenues we worked with were: private donations, fish fry fundraisers, art raffles, community events, profit from retail sales, Hyde County Revolving Loan Fund, Tideland Electric Co-operative accessed a USDA grant which converted into a 0-precent loan to us, NC Rural Economic Development Center and the Golden LEAF Foundation.

We knew it would take a year to find funding so we talked the owner of the fish house into leasing us the space for a year and at the end of the year, we would pay him his money. Phase one was finding grant money to pay for the business and the remaining term of the 99 year lease which expires in 2074. The cost was $325,000. At the eleventh hour, we narrowed down the source but couldn't get the funds to meet the deadline. So we accessed the Hyde County Revolving Loan Fund with the help of our local Commissioners. Then we paid off the Loan Fund when the NC Rural Economic Development Center grant came through. Phase two was the renovation of the space in order to create an industry and increase the profitability of the seafood company. We were able to get funding to renovate the space, start oyster revitalization, and develop an education program from the Golden LEAF Foundation. We started the renovation on December 10, 2008.