Seafood New Zealand caught up with Nelson-based Troy Harper, 35, skipper and owner of Aleatha T. Troy is part of the surface longline fleet, which chases swordfish, bigeye, yellowfin, bluefin tuna and other highly migratory species.
How did you first get into commercial fishing?
I grew up in Nelson as a teenager, so was surrounded by it. I worked in the factories on land and some friends were out fishing, so it was just kind of a natural thing to go and try it. And it stuck.
What do you love about your job?
Probably, more often than not, it’s the scenery and the marine life that I love. I do get jaded some days, especially when I’m busy at work, but every now and then when I’ve got the camera out taking some photos for the wife, I realise that not everyone gets a special office like we do. Sometimes we’re steaming around the place and there’s just pods and pods of dolphins jumping around and hanging out with us. It’s pretty special – people pay good money to go do that for an afternoon.
What’s the best piece of fishing advice you’ve ever received?
There’s a reason it’s called fishing and not catching. So, don’t stress too much, just try your best.
What’s a fishing myth that you wish people would stop believing?
I mean, it’s probably a lot like most of the primary industries, where people see the end result and what they’re paying for and assume that’s what we’re getting paid. But just because snapper is 50 bucks a kilo at the supermarket doesn’t mean we’re getting paid 50 bucks a kilo. The myth that rich fishermen are out to pillage and plunder isn’t right. We’re just like anyone else, we’re scraping by most of the time. We’re just feeding a lot of people while we do it.
What’s your most memorable day on the water?
I mean, there’s good and bad. We have really nice days fishing, where we’re escorted by dolphins and whales all the way back to the wharf. And then we’ve had really bad ones – I’ve been in 50, 60, 70 knot storms with 10-metre swells.
More often than not though it’s when everything goes smoothly, when nothing breaks down and you’re catching fish – the run-of-the-mill days – that you think back and go,
“Man, I wish every day was nice and easy like that.”
What’s the coolest piece of fishing gear you can’t live without?
These days, probably the electronic plotter. I can’t imagine how the old guys did it just from just the GPS locations or their memories. To have imagery at the snap of a finger and being able to look at it from different aspects (2D and 3D) helps a lot. Technology is a huge help.
If you weren’t a commerical fisher, what would you be doing?
I honestly don’t have a clue what I would have fallen into. I can’t imagine doing the 9 to 5 or being stuck in an office.
Tell us about your life outside of work.
I have a couple of kids, a wife and dogs. Usually, when I’m not working, I’m at home with the kids and we try to get outside in the sunshine as much as possible. Between raising toddlers (my wife does a very good job) and fishing, there’s not a lot of time to do anything else.
What is your favourite sea shanty (or music) when out on the water?
Honestly, just about anything that’s not jazz. I have oldschool country and rock, drum and bass. Everything plays. Especially with technology now, I just have YouTube playlists playing all day, every day. So just about any kind of music is good to break up the monotony, and the sea spray and the wind sounds.
What is your favourite kaimoana?
Blue nose. Blue nose by far. It’s just a tasty, well-rounded fish. It’s got good flakes and it holds well together. You can cook it any way. Just straight in butter, you can bake it, fry it or put it in a curry.
Ever wonder who’s out there catching fish? Each edition of the Seafood New Zealand magazine we will catch up with kaimahi working across our seafood sector, from fishers to scientists and everyone in between. If you're keen to nominate someone or to be featured yourself, email [email protected].
