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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 6
February 2010
Larson leaves legacy of industry innovation
Take New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway to Route 72 East. Follow it to the beach and turn north. Over the next four miles, you’ll pass through half a dozen small towns that are packed with vacationers in the summer, mostly deserted in the winter, and similar in that almost all of the businesses cater to seasonal visitors to Long Beach Island.
But when you get to the very tip of the island, the local character changes dramatically. For 12 months of the year, Barnegat Light is a bustling commercial fishing port, one that has become an integral part of the mostly upscale Long Beach Island community.
More than anything else, this is due to the vision, the foresight, the acumen, and the dedication of Capt. John Larson, who died on Dec. 23 of complications two weeks following cardiac surgery. He was 76.
A lifelong resident of Long Beach Island, he was brought up in a fishing family in what was at the time an isolated fishing community on one of South Jersey’s barrier islands.
In the years following World War II, Long Beach Island’s towns were turning into the understated equivalents of the ritzy communities on the eastern end of Long Island, NY.
But Capt. John was the driving force behind integrating Viking Village, the commercial dock in Barnegat Light that he owned with Capt. Lou Puskas, into this development. As a result, its fishermen were transformed into international businessmen who today supply New Jersey seafood to markets across the US, Asia, and Europe.
Accomplishments
John Larson was always looking ahead, and not just for himself.
His most obvious accomplishments in bringing Barnegat Light’s fishermen into the twentieth and then the twenty-first century included:
Developing the tilefish and pelagic longline fisheries from the ground up;
Turning Viking Village into a significant sea scallop port;
Developing premium markets for previously low-demand local species; and
Running the Miss Barnegat Light, a head boat with a following from New Jersey to her winter quarters in Florida, in such a way that earned the loyalty of generations of recreational fishermen.
And, not only were the commercial boats he owned high producers, each also was a testament to what “ship-shape” really means, reflecting the pride he took in them, in their crews, and in the industry they were a part of.
Avid industry supporter
Equally important, Capt. John was one of the most effective supporters of the commercial fishing industry and commercial fishermen in Barnegat Light, in New Jersey, and in general that we’ve ever had.
From their separate beginnings, he was a generous and committed member of: Blue Water Fishermen’s Association; the Fisheries Survival Fund; the Monkfish Defense Fund; Garden State Seafood Association; FishNet USA; and other pro-fishing efforts.
He seldom assumed out-front leadership roles, but his characteristically low-keyed counsel always was effective and to the point.
He was always there for us. He produced “Fish for Tomorrow,” a documentary detailing how sustainable the local fisheries are and instituted dock tours at Viking Village to explain commercial fishing operations to vacationers, successfully integrating a tourist destination into a commercial fishing operation. He hosted and provisioned the New Jersey Conference of Mayors annual Seafood Summit. He provided advice to anyone who asked, based on his years of experience and success in the fish business.
And Capt. John did all of this always in the most gracious and unassuming manner possible. He was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.
He will be missed
I’m sure I write for every fisherman – recreational or commercial – who ever had the pleasure of dealing with John Larson when I say that he will be missed by all of us.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Marion, his seven children, his 11 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
Donations in his memory may be made to Capt. John’s favorite organization: The Barnegat Light Historical Society, Box 899, Barnegat Light, NJ 08006.
Nils Stolpe
Nils Stolpe has been an industry chronicler and consultant for over three decades. During that time, he has been associated with most of the organizations mentioned in this piece. Additionally, he is the author of the newly revitalized online blog title “Commercial Fishing: the rest of the story,” which may be found at <http://fishnetlite.blogspot.com>.
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