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P.O. Box 2642 | Darien, GA 31305 | Tel 912-437-8164 | FAX 912-437-8765 | |
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P.O. Box 2642 | Darien, GA 31305 | Tel 912-437-8164 | FAX 912-437-8765 | |
| Home | About Us | River News | Wildlife | Advocacy | Education | Events & Meetings | Resources | Links | Newsletters | ||
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James Holland and the Altamaha RiverkeeperJames Holland grew up in Cochran, Georgia where hunting and fishing seemed as natural as life itself. He loved to roam the woods and reveled in the abundant wildlife. Back then when he got thirsty he would stop at one of the many branches and creeks that were generally clean and clear. The forests were wild and kept the streams shaded and cool.Like many young men back in those days when he reached military age he enlisted in the armed forces and became a Marine at age 17. After his service he moved to Brunswick and worked in the food service profession. James did not forget his early days of pleasure while fishing and hunting and he quickly learned there was fishing galore on the coast, freshwater and saltwater. There was also hunting for all types of game with plenty of land to do it on. He noticed other people making a living from crabbing and shrimping and it stirred his independent spirit and the exhilarating feelings of freedom he remembered from when he roamed the woods as a boy. In 1977 James bought a crab boat and crab traps and started working for himself. It was hard work to be a blue crab fisherman and there was only enough money to make ends meet. But he loved it. There were plenty of crabs and he felt rich beyond belief. It was a way of life he had only dreamed of. Time passed and in the 90's Holland and the other crabbers realized they were catching fewer and fewer crabs. Their harvests declined from 1500 pounds of crabs per day to less than 200 pounds per day. The fishermen started asking questions. What was happening to the crabs? In 1994 the crabbers banded together to figure out why the catches were shrinking. They got the Georgia Legislature to approve a Blue Crab Management Program limiting the number of crabbers and the number of crab traps that could be in the fishery. But the crab population continued its downward spiral. The crab decline drove Holland and almost a hundred other crabbers out of business. In 15 years, five-area crabmeat processing plants employing over 1000 people, closed. His way of life and the livelihoods of others were gone. Holland still wanted to know what was happening to the crabs? Holland talked to scientists, biologists, professors, and fishermen about marine life and the environment in which they lived. He learned everything he could through personal research in the biology of fish, crab, and shrimp. Holland discovered the bottom line: water quality and healthy freshwater wetlands are essential for a healthy fishery. In 1999, James Holland, a few other angry crabbers, and others concerned about the health of the rivers decided to do something about it. They formed an environmental group, the Altamaha Riverkeeper, because they knew there was a statewide water quality problem and they wanted to do something to help it. The group decided to educate the public about the importance of a healthy watershed and do something to protect it. They chose the Altamaha River because it was the Georgia's greatest river with the largest watershed covering over 14,000 square miles. Five years later the Altamaha Riverkeeper organization boasts more than 1000 members. The organization works to restore and preserve the habitat, water, and flow of the mighty Altamaha- from its headwaters in North Georgia to its terminus at the Atlantic Coast. With your help we can protect the Altamaha River watershed, including the Oconee, Ocmulgee, Ohoopee, and their many tributaries. Plenty of people still dump in the Altamaha. There are more than 100 permits allowing treated sewage, discharge from paper and pulp operations, and other pollutants to be dumped in the river. There is untold runoff from timber plantations and farm fields. The level of nutrients in the river has doubled in the past 20 years. Fish kills seem to happen each summer, and now a parasite triggered by pollutions is turning the blood of adult blue crabs into a milky soup. And there are new threats.
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