Mr. Big Seafood

Mr. Big Seafood was started in 1976 by Weldon “Peter” Willis and James “Eddie” Willis of Harkers Island, North Carolina. Peter was a third generation commercial fisherman and boat builder. Eddie became the fourth generation of the Willis family to become a commercial fisherman. In the early years, they sold solely to local fish houses in the area. By 1991, Eddie began catching, shedding and shipping his own soft crabs to Fulton Market in New York. In 1998, Eddie and his family were featured in Carmine Prioli’s book, “Hope for a Good Season – The Ca’e Bankers of Harkers Island.” Mr. Prioli’s book documented the commercial fishing heritage on Harkers Island and shared the story of the few remaining commercial fishermen and boat builders on the island. By 2003, Peter had retired and Eddie had taken over the family business. He saw his fellow fishermen leaving their lives on the water as global markets, community economic loss, increasing seafood imports, rising fuel prices and decreasing buying prices threatened their livelihood. Abandoning his commercial fishing heritage and life on the water was not an option for Eddie. But, he knew his business had to change and adapt to the new economic and regulatory conditions of the 21st century. By 2004, Eddie had fully vertically integrated his business model. He began by building an ice room and cold room and purchasing an ice machine. The new facilities enabled Eddie to handle and sell his own catch directly to seafood wholesalers and retailers from North Carolina to New York. Eddie began working with NOAA to catch and tag endangered sea turtles. Eddie’s invaluable knowledge of Core Sound and the surrounding waters made him vital to NOAA’s efforts to safely catch and release sea turtles. He continues these efforts today. In 2005, Eddie opened a small retail seafood market that allowed him to capture tourist dollars during the summer months. Mr. Big Seafood Market has become well known throughout Carteret County as “the place” to buy the highest quality seafood. Customers drive from as far away as Emerald Isle, passing countless seafood stands and markets, just to purchase fresh shrimp from Mr. Big Seafood. By 2007, Eddie was able to begin purchasing and handling seafood from other Carteret County fishermen. The increased volume drew more buyers to his fish house. In 2010, Eddie expanded further by processing seafood for Core Sound Seafood’s Community Supported Fishery (CSF) program. The addition gave Eddie and other fishermen like him another avenue to sell their catch directly to North Carolina consumers. In the fall of 2010, Eddie was featured in a NC Coast Business Journal article by Amanda Dagnino entitled “When Fish Walk.” Eddie was also a featured speaker at the NC Rural Economic and Development Center’s Amenity-Based Development forum. The forum featured a captivating video by Snyder Productions that featured Eddie and his value-added approach to commercial fishing. Eddie and Alison married in February 2012. She began to assist in the business expansion and development. By May 2012, Eddie and his small seafood market were mentioned in Matt and Ted Lee’s Southern Living article entitled, “Eat Your Way to the Outer Banks.” Eddie considers his life as a North Carolina waterman to be a privilege - not a job, but a lifestyle. If asked, he would tell you that he has never had a job. He and Alison continue to work as a team in the family business.