A recent star of our Faces of Fishing video series (check out our Facebook if you haven't seen it!), we thought it timely to catch up with seasoned deepwater skipper Rex Chapman. Rex fills us in on growing up in 1970s Nelson to how new technology keeps you on the ball.
How did you get into the commercial fishing industry?
Like many kids growing up in 1970s Nelson, I was always around the fishing industry and recreational fishing. Like many of my generation, when you left school young you were destined to work in the primary industry sector - I was happy with fishing, farming or forestry as a future career. My father was a coal miner, then a bushman all his life. I worked on farms and in forestry, but wanted to go to sea. I got the opportunity through friends to go to sea in 1985 on the FV Cordella when I was 20 years old.
What is your role and what do you enjoy most about it?
My present role is captain on the Sealord trawler Tokatu, which has been challenging, but with overcoming these challenges comes a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment. I enjoy and appreciate many things in my role from the great people I work with, the fantastic ocean environment we have and working on the great ship that the Tokatu is.
What's the best piece of advice you've received about business or working in this industry?
One of the best pieces of advice I have received about working in this industry is that if it's what you want to do it (as it's not for everyone being away for long periods of time from friends and family) and you put in the effort, you can go as far as you want your ambition to take you.
What skills do you think are most important for someone working in this industry?
Resilience, respect, a strong work ethic and the ambition to keep learning.
Have you noticed much change in the fishing industry since you started?
A lot has changed over the last 40 years in the deepsea fishing industry, as it is a lot more professional than in the early days. Technology has and is progressing at a rapid rate, giving us better information and a lighter footprint. Regulation and stock management have both grown exponentially in their respective areas and when you are running vessels worth $80 million-plus you need to be 100% on the ball.
Is there a common misconception about commercial fishing or the seafood industry you'd like to set straight?
Common misconceptions and/or outright lies about the New Zealand commercial fishing industry and commercial fishers are something that needs correcting.
For one, the message from the mainstream media, some politicians, personalities, recreational fishing groups, and eNGOs that try to portray fishermen and the New Zealand fishing industry as untrustworthy, uncaring for the environment and out there to destroy the ocean and its biodiversity is so far removed from reality and insulting.
The reality is the New Zealand fishing industry has a lot of hard-working people out to run successful businesses and protect the resource and the environment. The fishers who go to and live on the sea are a lot of hard-working men and women who are trying to earn an honest living and none of them want to destroy the sea and its biodiversity, which they rely on for their livelihoods and their children's futures.
The bad press about bottom trawling and documentaries showing bad practices overseas with the intent of saying New Zealand is the same are very disingenuous. I have fished in many parts of the world and I know the New Zealand fishing industry is by far the best-managed and most heavily regulated fishing industry on the planet.
What's been your most memorable day at work?
I have had many memorable days at work over the last 40 years, and each different ship and crew have had memorable moments. The great people I have worked with and the places the fishing industry has taken me - from the power and the beauty of nature in the Southern Ocean to the west coast of Namibia and transiting the Panama Canal - have all been great experiences.
If you weren't working in the seafood industry, what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would more than likely be working in the agriculture sector in some capacity.
What is your favourite seafood?
Turbot fillets (battered) and oysters in any form.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy the quiet life at home in Golden Bay with my wife, Jennifer, and our dogs. I enjoy catching up with our four boys when we can and playing around with a couple of old V8s we have.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about what you do or the industry?
The fishing industry has been good to me, and I have been fortunate to have had some great mentors along the way. It has had its tough times, good times, scary times and funny times and I have a treasure trove of memories and have made a lot of good friends.
As I get older, I find myself searching more for one thing: the truth. Good decisions can only be made with good information - whether that's on board a ship making fishing decisions, or at a government level setting policy and quota levels. Good, fact-based information leads to the best outcomes. On the flip side, bad or misleading information, often used to play on people's emotions, does no one any favours and can have unintended consequences that harm innocent people.
Keen to share your story in "Catchin' up with"? Want to nominate someone else? Email us at [email protected].
