Marylanders love our watermen. They bring us crabs, after all. But for the most part our images of these people have crystallized into an idealized amalgam created from 50-year old photographs, crab-shack signs and stereotypes. The photography of Jay Fleming has been a welcome vehicle to update those images and to ponder the life and labor that goes into putting crab-cakes (and more) onto Maryland tables. If you’re on Facebook you may have seen his frequently-shared photos, capturing moments of the workdays on the water and in the picking-plants, as well as under the sea (or bay as the case may be).
As a wannabe-historian I’m grateful for a window into this part of the food system and the economy of our state (among others).
This body of work is slated for publication this fall in Fleming’s first book “Working the Water.” Coming soon to a coffee table near you. I asked Jay a few questions, thereby creating the opportunity to put some good photography on this blog, for once.
‘Hunting for ducks and geese in the marshes of Dorchester County’
Growing up in Annapolis with a parent working for DNR, Fleming got engaged from an early age with the outdoors through hiking, fishing, and sailing. “Photography gave me a purpose,” he says, “for seeing different parts of the bay and exploring and documenting and sharing that with other people.”
‘A egg bearing female crab crawls across a oyster bar in the shallows near Cape Charles, Virginia’
In 2013, after building an impressive portfolio of commercial and wildlife photography, he focused close-to-home on a project documenting the journey of Chesapeake Bay seafood from the depths of the bay to the processing plants.
“The book is a photographic documentary of the Chesapeake seafood industry and show[s] all the different fisheries that exist on the Chesapeake Bay, the processing of seafood, and the people who are involved in it as well as the natural environment. I’m trying to create an all-encompassing vignette of the seafood industry.”
‘Oyster shucking at a seafood packing house on Virginia’s Northern Neck’
Fleming’s balance of art and documentation recalls the beloved work of Aubrey Bodine and other Sun photographers of the past. But the world shown in Fleming’s photos has changed quite a bit since those analog black-and-white images.
“Documentation of the seafood industry hasn’t been done for a long time and those older pictures inspired me because I’m born and raised in Annapolis, which used to be a huge port for seafood, there used to be quite a few picking houses, oyster shucking houses, and skipjacks used to tie up in Annapolis and now none of that exists and there’s only a handful of watermen that live here.”
‘Working the shorelines of coves and creeks in the Choptank River for oysters ‘
Before embarking on the project, Fleming, like many Marylanders, had misconceptions about what is and isn’t changing in the industry. “If you look at those pictures from the 60’s and 70’s, even the 80’s, you would think that the seafood industry was completely gone. I had a notion that there were very few watermen left on the Chesapeake Bay but I learned that it is still very vibrant and active. In some areas it is the main source of income for a lot of people. Going to the Eastern Shore and seeing these places like Tangier [Island] which are truly working communities you get a sense that [the industry] is alive and… somewhat well.”
Which is to say it’s not an easy life. “For the watermen and people in the packing houses, their way of life is dependent on natural resources and the environment. That stuff is out of anybody’s control. It’s a way of life that’s a lot different than most people are used to.”
In addition to the ever-fluctuating crab populations, watermen have to contend with regulations, which, while aimed at long-term preservation of their industry and the resources it depends on, may sometimes leave career fishermen feeling like they’re subject to extra scrutiny.
Despite this, after some hesitations from wary watermen, he has been welcomed into their workplace. “Ultimately people understood that I was not trying to portray the industry in a negative light and that I was interested in what they were doing, and I’m hoping that my photographs can help people understand local seafood.”
Diamondback terrapin in eel grass
Fleming’s background in wildlife photography shines in photos that offer viewers a rare glimpse into the murky grasses of the bay. We get an up close view of crab neighborhood and grassy boudoir. “Most of my underwater photography on the bay is done between mid-April and the end of May. Once the water tops 65 degrees, algae will start to bloom and reduce water clarity.”
This is not to say the collection doesn’t include photos of the dazzling sunsets over the bay, handsome ships, and bucolic fishing communities.
‘Annapolis crab potter, Brian Walton, picks up crab pots at Hacketts Point near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.’
“I love so much stuff on the water like these coastal towns like Crisfield and Solomon’s Island. They have so much history involved. The Chesapeake has a lot of shoreline, all these little towns are very different and very unique and all the people are different.”
His favorite Maryland dish? “Soft crabs. I love fried soft crabs.”
“Part of the fun for me is [that] i go to these places and I get to bring back soft crabs, or rockfish, oysters… One of my goals is to help people make that connection with their food and who’s handling it. A lot of people are really disconnected from their food. I enjoy knowing where my food comes from and making that connection. It makes it more meaningful.”
‘A Yellow Lab poses on the stern of a Tilghman Island crab potting boat’
All photos Jay Fleming, http://www.jayflemingphotography.com/
