ATLANTIC RANCHERS

"In 2020, during the early stretches of a deepening pandemic, I turned my back on a career in government policy, waded inward to the place of my youth and rejoined some of my earliest childhood experiences to forge a new path. By hand and bare feet, and with a truck, and a few Bunsen burners and some aluminum kettles, I set off to extract tiny salty flakes, pyramid shaped crystals which, to me, no two are alike. I am a sea salt maker now and live a very simple and rewarding life, harvesting pure flakes of salt from the ocean’s water."

Dave Burris, Atlantic Rancher

“I made my first decoy about 50 years ago because I didn’t have the money to buy any, and I’ve been carving hollow working decoys from “Jersey cedar” ever since. You don’t take an SAT test or go to art school to learn decoy making. This is an art passed down from father to son, from master to apprentice. I learned from some of the great ones…Hurley Conklin and Harry Shourds. If gunnin’ was outlawed tomorrow, you’d still find me out on the salt meadow putting out my decoys just to watch ducks come into my spread.”

J.P. "Jamie" Hand, Atlantic Rancher

“I don’t dwell on it much, but it never escapes me that like my father and uncle before me, I’ve been drawn to a life at sea that seems plucked from an ancient maritime newspaper. It’s surreal that I climb a rope ladder some 40ft. from a launch boat to the deck of a ship offshore, take command and bring her to port. And no matter what nastiness the weather has brought, when the phone rings, I put on my gear, walk down the dock, and board the pilot boat in great anticipation of performing a job which I am honored to have.”

Chris Haggerty, Atlantic Rancher

"My brother Joe Boy and I had this bay figured out for a lot of years...we made our living off the tides. If we weren't clam'n we were out after weakfish or blues. On a good year, the scallops were thick right through October and by then, the brant would be all over this bay, first cold snap brought on the broadbills, and we'd make them go some, too."

Jack Scheimreif, Atlantic Rancher

"The 'Duck Shack' is the last of the great camps on the Mullica River. The original structure was put here in the late 1800s by local watermen, and since, the front door’s never had a lock on it. Wintertime, this bay can turn nasty in seconds…our logbooks are full with entries from stranded gunners, oystermen and even a few federal wardens that’ve been saved by’er. Now, we’re tryin’ like hell to save her."

Capt. Bob Gaskill, Atlantic Rancher

“There are times when you can look out in every direction and see a dozen schools of bonefish. A lot of the people I fish tell me truly that they don’t care whether they catch fish or not. They say they just want to be here to experience the peacefulness of the flats."

Ansil Sauders, Atlantic Rancher

"Working to preserve the environment along the Atlantic coast is difficult because of the many competing interests. The work I do is centered on finding a balance between the human interest and the protection of natural resources and wildlife."

Dave Rimmer, Atlantic Rancher

"I grew up with six brothers. When we weren't in school or on chores, seemed we were always tromping around in the woods or exploring the saltmarsh. I started carvin' when I was twelve...it was called whittling back then. Carvers of my generation were hunters...and it shows in the natural look of their birds. Today it's a competitive business and many in it now have never spent a day on the marsh. Nothing wrong with that...birds just look different, that's all."

Bob Brophy, Atlantic Rancher

"I have witnessed the passion of the hunt for these magnificent fish on the Gulfstream waters evolve into compassion and conservation in favor of maintaining this irreplaceable resource. The human desire to capture is replaced by the celebration of the release as most fish swim to fight another day."

Raul Miranda, Atlantic Rancher