by Carol A. Muratore –
Spencer Headley grew up in Fairport, spending his youth getting to know these waters like the back of his hand. He was the son of a waterman and grandson of a boat carpenter. He literally grew up on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America. He said his dad taught him everything he knows working alongside him for close to 30 years.
Spencer has firsthand knowledge of the waters, the habitat and has witnessed the many changes over the years. Spencer bought his own waterman’s card and obtained his own licenses as a young man. Today, he is an independent commercial waterman.
But that’s not all. Due to his immeasurable knowledge of these waters and experience, Spencer was appointed as a board member to the very important and well-regarded Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). These appointments are carefully vetted and the candidates are selected by the governor of Virginia. The services VMRC is responsible for include recreational fishing, commercial fishing, fisheries management, shellfish management, habitat management, marine police and administrative services.
He serves with an impressive group of individuals with vast backgrounds ranging from lawyers, executives in healthcare, experts on the environment as well as people with expertise in the vertical integration of the industries aforementioned. Spencer travels monthly for meetings in the Hampton Region office.
Spencer also is a board member on the Potomac River Fisheries Commission which does similar work but covers the waters controlled by Virginia and Maryland related to the Potomac River. These board members also are appointed by the state’s governor. Again, he travels hours to attend these meetings.
