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Jay Fleming.

Jay Fleming

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Jay Fleming is a freelance photographer and writer based in Annapolis, Md.

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James “Ooker” Eskridge, a working waterman and the mayor of Tangier, lifts a peeler pot into his workboat Sreedevi in Cod Harbor, Va. Ooker’s workboat is named after one of his four daughters, all of whom he and his wife, Irene, adopted from India. Jay Fleming photo

Island Life: Jay Fleming documents Chesapeake Bay’s offshore communities

The shrimp trawler Jimmy and Charlie Jr. ran aground at the mouth of the Altamaha River in Georgia Nov. 4, 2021. Jay Fleming photo.

Aground on the Altamaha; Georgia inlet claims a shrimper

‘We could see the writing on the wall’: Maryland’s million-dollar shutdown

The crew of the dayboat Chasin

Scallops on the double

Feature: Last of the buy boats

Cover Story excerpt

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Fishermen work on the open deck of Miss Gail off Cortez, Florida, circa 1980. Photo courtesy of Glenhart Brooks / NOAA Fisheries
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Gulf partnerships shape the future of commercial fisheries

The crew at Wesmac Custom Boats will be the first to install a Tier III, 1000-hp exempted engine in a New England lobster boat. The limit for Tier III is 803 horsepower, but the EPA promises flexibility going forward. Photo courtesy of Wesmac
July 30, 2026

EPA promotes flexibility for Tier IV implementation

Gig Harbor's planned Commercial Fishing Homeport would provide dedicated moorage for up to 17 commercial fishing vessels while creating a new working waterfront destination. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
July 30, 2026

Gig Harbor homeport project moves toward construction as costs rise

Maine observed its first Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day officially established by state law with ceremonies held up and down the coast. Photo courtesy of Liz Michaud / Green and White Hope
July 29, 2026

State leaders join fishing families to honor Maine fishermen lost at sea

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