[Claire Orgass]

Hi to all my fellow POCFs!

My name is Claire Orgass, I currently reside in the small fishing village of Goodland, FL.  A small island that is apart of the 10,000 islands and neighbor to what I consider the “secret garden” The Florida Everglades.

I grew up on the connecting island to Goodland, Marco Island. My home has grown to be what most consider a “vacation destination”, and home to only the wealthy. Though its booming growth slowly chips away at its once quaint and prosperous natural resources, I still manage to find the beauty and peace I knew as a child. I grew up in a hard working middle class family. My parents moved to the area close to fifty years ago from Michigan and New York. Being one of six children and due to my parents lack of accessibility and knowledge of the water, fishing and all things included were not part of my upbringing.

Upon graduating H.S and moving out on my own, while working and going to school to create a life of my own. I knew that stepping into the waters around me had always called my name. Paddle boarding and any means of getting into the estuaries and gulf around me was something I choose to take advantage of every opportunity I could. Slowly I became more confident, comfortable and knowledgeable about the environment around me. One of my favorite college courses was “environmental biology of SW FLORIDA”. Learning about my local environments history, ecosystem, and everything in between only amplified my passion for this lifestyle.

Fast forward to 2017… I gave birth to my son Elliot. A blessing in which I truly believe saved and put my life on the path it was meant for. With my own childhood missing the chance to be intertwined with the waters around me, I knew that offering that to my son was something I would do everything in my power to give him. What young boy doesn’t want to fish and cast a line?! So we took to learning things together! Fishing anywhere and any chance we could. Learning knots, styles and techniques of fishing, classifications of all creatures who dwell in our waters. We would fish anywhere and everywhere we could, salt/fresh/brackish waters… heck we’ve even caught some fish on good ole bread bait!

Well, 6 years later I was blessed to have met the man of my dreams. My partner Tyler, who I may not have known I was waiting for during those 6 years of being a single mom… but god certainly knew I was. Tyler is a commercial fisherman currently in the stone crab industry, and prior to crabbing has commercial fished mullet in run season since he was in high school.

My home, my “secret garden” is full of a rich history in fishing that think is greatly overlooked! Tyler’s family “The Doxsee’s”were an integral part of the community in which I grew up. Hailing from Long Island, New York the Doxsee family found themselves in Marco Island, FL as some of its first settlers… aside from the native Calusa Indians of course!

The Doxsee family brought and expanded their already established clamming knowledge and business to Marco Island. Commercial clamming in the Doxsee family is just the base in which their commercial fishing blood begins. As time went on and Marco began to become more sought after, all original residents were relocated to “Goodland”. As this transpired, the over fishing of clams became prevalent and the factory soon was closed.  Though… as many of us probably know, and see in our fisherman that the grit and passion for this industry never dies. As The Doxsee family grew with its children and their own family lines, so did their means of commercial fishing. Learning from the right and wrong means of their fishing past the next generation of Doxsee’s knew better and choose to do better for the commercial industry.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Tyler’s grandmother Linda Doxsee married a great man, Charles Arthur. “Captain Bly, do or die” as many knew him by. Together they stepped into the new and blossoming world of Stone Crabbing. A marvelous and unique species with an incredibly sustainable nature. Though Linda’s roots did not, and til this day have not waivered. You would still find her with her children and grandchildren (my partner Tyler) searching for an occasional clam or two and ALWAYS in pursuit of a “black of mullet” which is a dense school of mullet seen in the water. A sight which only in person do you understand the adrenaline and pure joy that runs through your body upon seeing it. The ripple on the water and the speed in which they move is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And once you’ve heard a mullet jump/skip in the water. You are able to call out that sound even without seeing it.

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Jumping back to present day, Tyler has been so gracious and welcoming to Elliot and I into the world of commercial fishing. Teaching us both everyday and all of us loving every minute of it. Elliot has learned and become very proficient in throwing a cast net and I have and continue to become well versed in the process of stone crabbing. This summer, together we have worked on cultivating our own business and place in the commercial fishing world. We have assembled from concrete bottom to branded and painted buoys our own 300 stone crab traps. Outside of his own work on the “endangered species” a crab boat ran out of Goodland during the week and my job at a long standing local restaurant, we have been running our own commercial traps on weekends.

As I continue to learn from Tyler, I cannot wait to also learn from everyone here. I look forward to connecting with all of you and the chance to share more about me and my story!

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