Sponsored story courtesy of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.
Corey Rock is a third-generation fisherman, growing up in an industry with a grandfather who was “a jack of all trades.” “My grandfather was a logger,” explained Corey, “who grew up on the back side of the Depression. He learned to depend on no one but himself.” When the logging industry slowed down, a move to Depoe Bay birthed a generational fishing business.
Corey has been fishing since the day he could, starting out on his dad’s hand-built boat, which Corey describes as “a weapon. Everyone knew that boat up and down the coast, and dad always got the best crews. Everyone wanted to be on it.”
Besides crab, Corey enjoys fishing for shrimp from his boat, F/V Kylie Lynn, and in contrast to many fishermen who name their boats after family members, Corey named his daughter after the boat he’d purchased when she was born. He outfits and fabricates it himself to save money.
“It’s an all-consuming family business,” said Corey. His wife, Maria, balanced raising a family and making deliveries when the boat pulled in when the kids were young. She now owns a coffee shop in Newport, Coasties Roasties, where she bakes all pastries from scratch and has “delicious coffee.”
Maria is also a former president of the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, a non-profit of fishermen’s wives, mothers, daughters and friends who provide irreplaceable support in the community. When tragedy strikes the industry, they are there. They are the public face of the fishing community, a band of women who show up at a moment’s notice when needs arise. As Corey said, “when shit hits the fan, that’s the group that stands up and takes care of people.”
That group is there for fishing families like Bob Eder’s, who lost his son Ben and three crewmen at sea on December 11, 2001. There is a plaque in Newport dedicated to F/V Nesika that says, “May the Life of This Fleet Be Bountiful and Safe.”
Corey loves the competitiveness of fishing. “No one is going to help you,” he said, “it’s all on your shoulders. It can be high stress, high risk, and high success if you get it right. You just hope you are on the right side of the scale. You can have one good day, then three bad ones. But we are making something available that otherwise isn’t available to consumers. I love that.”
He also appreciates what great stewards he and his fellow fishermen are of the environment. “We are some of the best environmentalists out there. It’s in all our best interests to be good stewards.”
in Food & Drink