GoingGreen the great outdoors

Living his dream as a fisherman, Pete Rodday has learnt to take the rough with the smooth.

“You might have a fish on the line and a shark could come from nowhere and grab it,” says father-oftwo Rodday, of St David’s.

“On the one hand, you’ve lost a fish; on the other hand, witnessing the raw nature is pretty cool.”

Such is life for people who spend their days tackling the unpredictability of the ocean while trying to catch enough fish to make a living in an increasingly expensive world.

Rodday, 49, the grandson of a fisherman, gave up his job as a heavy equipment operator about ten years ago to pursue a career on the water.

He fixed up a 40-foot Bermuda cedar boat, Moby Dick, and put into practice the skills he acquired growing up in Massachusetts.

“My grandfather had shown me things about fishing and being outside, and it was something I always enjoyed,” Rodday says.

“It’s something I had always wanted to do. I had saved enough to get started. I’m stubborn enough to make a go of it.

“To apply yourself in this day and age, trying to make a livelihood out of it is pretty difficult. But when you do, it’s very rewarding.

“My family take pride in what I do. To see their faces when I come in after a big day, telling them all about it, sharing my stories, that means the world to me.

“We have a very small, townorientated community. When I come in at the end of the day, I see people around town and field their questions. It’s nice to be a part of that community.”

Rodday, who supplies East End Fisheries and local restaurants, starts work at daybreak, which is usually before 6.30am.

On good days, he nets a variety of species.

“You might get there and catch a nice rockfish, maybe a few wahoo and some tuna. Then you come back to the docks and sometimes you see people bringing their kids to see the fishermen bringing in their catch. It’s nice.”

There are frustrating days when you don’t catch much.

“There’s a lot of times when that happens. More days than you care about. It’s difficult,” Rodday says.

“After so many years, you know when to go out and when not to. Those days are hard because your family relies on your contribution monetarily.

“That’s why you save your money. You’ve got to be cheap when you’ve got to be cheap, because not every day is a perfect day.”

And then there are the terrible days.

“When it’s an unsavoury day, you’ve got to muster up whatever you can, trust in your skills and knowledge.

“There are times when you’ve got to say the wind is too much out there, it’s better I live to fight another day.

“There’s always something to be worked on at the dock so that as soon as the weather clears up you are all set to go out again.”

Emotions can be as tricky to navigate as the waves.

“You’ve got to be tough on those difficult days,” he says.

“But on the good days, you are totally elated. You are reassured on why you do this. It makes all the difficult times disappear. It’s a great feeling, the pride that comes with it.

“You also get to enjoy the freedom, the open air, the chance to see nature – having a giant humpback whale just breach right at the side of the boat or whatever it might be.”

Unlike many Bermudian fishing families, Rodday built his business from scratch.

“Most people who live on the island and can really make a go of it, their family have been active on the island for many years,” Rodday says.

“I saw some of the East End fishing families – the Walshes and the Barneses – and used them as a model for my own business plan for being a commercial fisherman, and trying to raise my son and daughter to be involved too.

“If you are really serious about it, you have got to find a family plot close to the water and do these things step by step.”

Fishing must be in the genes for Rodday’s children, whose greatgrandfather Leo Barboza still holds a world record with his 115lbs wahoo caught on a 20lb test line off the South Shore of Bermuda in 1961.

Rodday’s daughter Paige, 14, loves to join her father on fishing trips, while son Rocco, 8, takes a keen interest in all aspects of fishing life.

“I certainly hope he’ll keep enjoying this and one day he can take over,” Rodday says. “I’m trying to put all this together to make it easier for him.”