Serendipity Played Major Role in Seafood Career of GSI’s Bob Gill

After a Gulf Council meeting, Gill discusses the science of fisheries with the director of Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Dr. Bonnie Ponwith. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor

Serendipity has played a major role in Gulf Seafood Institute’s (GSI) board member Bob Gill’s life and career. His first attempt at forestry and wildlife management studies at the University of Maine ended in his second year when he decided to pack his bags and head to the Great Northwest to work on Mt. Hood for the U.S. Department of Forestry.

GSI’s Crystal River, Florida board member admits that he came late to the fisheries game. “For 20 years I was in engineering related jobs, totally unrelated to fish,” explained Bob Gill about his career. “I didn’t get back into fish until 1986 when I bought a fish house in Crystal River that dealt with local seafood, at that time primarily shrimp.” Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

Gill left Maine, but not his serendipitous lifestyle. On a day off from his job on the mountain, on a lark he decided to visit a Navy recruiting office to find out how to enter the Naval Academy.

Both fate and luck again sided with Gill when New Jersey Senator Harrison Williams, one of those convicted for taking bribes from the Abscam sting, gave him his appointment.

After graduating from the Naval Academy with a degree in engineering, he did tours of duty on various vessels and in shipyards for ten years. During this time, Gill was selected to continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained degrees of Ocean Engineer and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

After leaving the Navy, he joined Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS to outfit and deliver the USS David R. Ray, a Spruance Class destroyer. Subsequently, he helped design and promote marine gas turbine propulsion systems worldwide for General Electric’s Marine Gas Turbine Unit.

A Floridia Dock Owner

GSI’s Crystal River, Florida board member admits that he came late to the fisheries game. “For 20 years I was in engineering related jobs, totally unrelated to fish,” explained Gill about his career. “I didn’t get back into fish until 1986 when I bought a fish house in Crystal River that dealt with local seafood, at that time primarily shrimp.”

Shrimp Landing is Gills’ serendipitous Florida-based diversified dockside wholesale and retail seafood business that ships fresh and frozen seafood throughout the U.S. and Canada. The fish house has 18 commercial slips.

Bob Gill, center, walks the Hill with fellow GSI members, meeting with Congressmen and their staff on legislation effecting the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

“Over the years the dynamics of the fishing industry have changed considerably,” he explained. “Our business used to be dominated by the inshore fishing industry, but it is now a combination of both inshore and offshore. When I bought the fish house in 1986, 99% of what we did was shrimp; we no longer even process shrimp. Currently it is a mixture of blue crabbers, stone crabbers, offshore boats catching grouper and snapper, and inshore fishermen bringing in mullet and sheepshead. One of our more surprising species is ladyfish, which we process, package and send to market.”

According to Gill, when he bought the fish house in 1986 he quickly realized that he was getting into an industry that was muddled in a lot of different controversies. “The Florida Commission and the Gulf Council were in the process of making changes that could have dramatic impact on my ability to run the business. I decided that I needed to understand what the heck they were doing,” he explained.

The Floridian started studying the issues, getting more and more involved. Initially his efforts were focused locally, especially those that directly affected his business. Not surprisingly, he found commonality in issues across the state and in federal waters. He increased his participation in state and ultimately federal concerns.

“Once I got into fishing management, it just continued to suck me right in,” Gill said. “This is all I do anymore, in one facet or another. I realize that success is rare. Most of the time you meet with failure, because among other things, change is hard for people to accept. But it is definitely a rush when that great idea comes along, and it is successfully executed.”

Involvement with the Gulf Council

“I got involved with the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Managemnt Council when they were considering an amendment to the stone crab rule that was to mirror recently enacted Florida state regulations,” he explained abut his serendipitous encounter. “I was quite active in setting up the Florida plan, so while looking at what the Council was proposing I found it to be filled with a number of holes. As a result, I wrote them an email telling them the problems, and how they could be solved.”

Bob Gill answers questions from NOAA’s legal council Mara Levy during a Gulf Council meeting in Houston. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

The Council eventually adopted all Gills’ recommendations. In 2006 he was appointed to the Gulf Council where he represented the State of Florida for two terms.

On the Council Gill served as chairman for his last year. After not being reappointed for a third term in 2012, he subsequently applied for, and was appointed to, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), where he continues to serve as the only non-scientist responsible for giving scientific advice. He also serves on several Council advisory panels made up of stakeholders with particular experience and expertise.

Gill thinks one of the reasons he was appointed to the SSC is the upcoming reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. He is assists the SSC in considering the potential impacts they make on the Council with recommendations on acceptable biological catch.

Gill admits to paying little or no attention to his dockside business. “I know that is financially very unwise, but it seems to have a viable life of its own. I am spending all my time on fisheries issues, and things related to fisheries, mostly at the federal level,” he said.

With experience comes the ability to inject simplistic ideas that might help every once in a while. One of his simplistic ideas was to consider slot limits for the recreational red snapper fishery. Although currently not used by the Council, the concept is currently under consideration. The use of slot limits as a management technique is used by several states for red drum and snook.

“What I did to influence the Council’s decision to look at slot limits wasn’t anything special,” he said. “Slot limits focus on protecting one segment of the life history which can influence overall fishing success. By setting a minimum and maximum size that can be kept, fishermen keep middle size fish and let the small and big ones go. Currently we are dealing with minimum size limits where we throw away the little ones hoping they will grow into bigger fish. The reason throwing back the big fish is important is because they are the breeders that would be missing from the age structure of the fishery. In the case of red snapper, the older females are far more prolific than younger sexually mature fish, so the potential improvement to the population is that much better.”

A Leading Voice for GSI

Gill’s involvement with GSI came about because he feels the organization fills a definite void. Comprised of leaders from large to small seafood businesses, the organization is committed to support policies that maintain the Gulf’s resources for future generations.

GSI board members David Krebs (l-r), Gill, Johnny Greene and Harlon Pearce meet with a staff member of Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA). Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

He explains there are a lot of splinter groups representing their own issues. “We have commercial advocacy groups, we have recreational advocacy groups and we have a number of non-governmental organizations (NGO), but there is no other group, other than GSI, that looks at the broader aspect,” he said.

“What we didn’t have before GSI were organizations willing to band together to take a broader view on the Gulf and its seafood,” said Gill. “There was a huge need for an organization willing to go to bat for the science, education and advocacy in order to keep it strong. GSI has an attitude of taking charge and getting things done. We are willing to roll-up our sleeves and work to make these things happen, not just argue for them.”

He feels Gulf seafood touches every group, either directly or tangentially, because it is consumed by a majority of Americans. “More than 99.9 percent of our population is effected in some fashion,” he explained. “There are issues that cross a lot of barriers, so ideally there should be people that are interested in GSI whether they are commercial, recreational, NGO’s, academic or even in related industries like oil and gas, ship building, conservation and a host of others. We can be far more effective together than separately.”

Tags: cientific and Statistical Committee, Featured, fisheries, General Electric’s Marine Gas Turbine, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Managemnt Council, Gulf Seafood Institute, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Magnuson Stevens Act, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Naval Academy, University of Maine