Meet Florida's Commercial Fishing Captains

Florida's commercial fishing traditions are among America’s most colorful and unique. Harvesting more than 80 species of finfish and shellfish, Florida’s fishing captains work hard to bring in "Florida's Tastiest Catch" for your dining pleasure. Check out the photos and brief bios below and get to know some of Florida's commercial fishing captains. If you are a Florida fishing captain and would like to be featured on this web site, click here.

Name:	Edward J. Maccini
Hometown:	Seminole, Florida
Number of Years Fishing:	35
Boat:	J.U.M.A
Florida's Tastiest Catch:	Grouper and snapper
Experience:	I have owned and operated my vessel since 1984. My method of fishing is long-lining. Have spent 10 years tuna fishing in the Pacific and Atlantic and 25 years long lining for grouper in the Gulf. I also possess a 1,000 ton Master’s License.
Tall Fishing Tale:	When the sun is shining, the seas are calm and the fish are jumping on the boat, the life of a fisherman is pure ecstasy. However on this particular chilly day in February, it made me wish I had remained a school teacher. Upon listening to the weather and the updated forecast of a fast, rapidly intensifying cold front approaching from the west, we decided to seek safe refuge. We had 80 miles to steam and traveling at 8 knots we should arrive at port just before the setting sun. Twenty miles into steam we lost our steering. With no way of repairing the hynautic system, we rigged a tiller arm out of a pipe. The only problem was in order to steer one had to stand in the lazzerette and not see anything but a fish box oft in front of the "new" steering station. That meant that the man at the helm would constantly give directions to the "tiller man." To compound the confusion we had a 6 foot sea crashing over the port side drenching the "tiller man."We took once hour shifts alternating between the wheelhouse and lazzerette. We finally made it to the sea buoy and now the trick was to blindly steer between the buoys and pass under the bridge and navigate the Intercoastal to the fish house. God must have been on our side because we made it all the way without a hitch. Just another day for the "Saltwater Cowboys" who risk their lives to bring a healthy product to appreciative consumers.

Name:	Richard Londeree
Hometown:	Tampa, Florida
Boat:	Critter Getter
Quote:	"Let's ROCK and roll"
Florida's Tastiest Catch:	The Critter Getter has placed and harvested millions of pounds of live rock
Experience:	35 years farming in the Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico
Tall Fishing Tale:	I had a near-death experience farming our aquaculture site in The Florida Keys. It was November 12, 1998, at 7:30 a.m. that my vessel sank just inside the reef about five miles from land. Susie, my Labrador retriever and I were ready for the long haul down to the rock mine in the everglades to collect some seed rock to place on our aquaculture lease in the Keys. My GPS was telling me I was approaching the site, and the seas seemed to be building, but it was like many of the other 74 trips I have made developing this site. Reaching the area I surveyed the situation, deciding where I needed to place the anchor to get me directly over the site. Turning around and heading into the sea to get out front of the site, allowing enough anchor line out to be able to grab the bottom and stay in that spot, I reversed course to allow the anchor to hang, as I did I took a six-foot wave over the transom. Unprepared for the intensity and weight of the water on board the boat floundered and I took another wave over the transom. At this point I knew the boat was going down; went up to the bow to grab a life preserver for me and Susie, the boat went down like a rock. I did not have two seconds to simply bend over and grab a vest out of the gunnel; the boat just disappeared into the sea. There was not a boat in sight as it was a rough day. Every now and then a wave would pick me up and I could see the marker at Davis Reef about a mile from me. Looking the other way I could see land. I decided upon swimming for land which is about five miles from where I was. I had no fins, mask, snorkel, nothing, just shorts and a T-shirt on. Ever tried to swim in the ocean in six-foot waves, with no equipment? Not so easy. At 5 1/2 hours in the water in a pretty desperate situation I asked God for a boat to come by. It could not have been 10 minutes and I heard a boat motor, but could not see it as the waves were so high. From behind me on the top of a wave I saw a boat coming toward me. There they were, my rescuers, coming toward me. They were quickly beside me, I pushed Susie up on the boat, they grabbed my cooler and I climbed up the ladder. Boy, it never felt so good to be on a boat! I had been in the water almost six hours, swam about six miles, was bleeding all over, but was safe with my dog Susie. The guys on the boat were amazed that we had swum so far in such rough seas, and survived. They had been out lobster diving, the only boat out of Snake Creek, and had caught sight of the blue cooler on their way in. They did not see us until they got real close and realized we were swimming. The Lord was listening and we were saved. To hear the full version of Richard’s story, click here: http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/about/tbs6.html

Name:	Randy Lauser
Hometown:	Largo, Florida
Experience:	25 years fishing, with 23 as a Captain
Boat:	"Brandy"
Quote:	"They call me Randy on the Brandy."
Florida's Tastiest Catch:	Grouper
Tall Fishing Tale:	"As a long line boat captain I had a great set one day when we pulled in 800 pounds of grouper. Another time we pulled in 4,000 pounds of sandbar and black tip shark in a seven-mile stretch on one long line."

Name:	Dave Campo
Hometown:	New Port Richey, Florida
Experience:	35 years fishing
Boat:	"Islander," a Nova Scotian-built 40-footer
Florida's Tastiest Catch:	Stone crab, seabass, grunts, octopus, shark, swordfish, tuna
A Little About Me:	"I began fishing as a child on the bays of Long Island, New York, catching flounder, clams and eels. As I grew up, I started fishing offshore for sharks, tuna, cod, tile, etcetera. I moved to Florida on the heels of the blizzard of 1996, and have been fishing in the Tarpon Springs area as well as the east coast. I have caught everything from swordfish, tuna, mahi to stone and blue crabs."