Charlie Phillips
Current Employment/Affiliation:
Charlie Phillips is the owner and operator of Phillips Seafood which packs multiple species, most notably, snapper grouper. He is also owns both Sapelo Sea Farms, which currently farms clams and wild oysters, and The Fish Dock restaurant, which serves their local seafood. Additionally, Charlie works with Black Sea Bass ropeless gear, the Large Whale Take Reduction Team, and the American Fisheries Advisory Committee dealing with SK grants.
Experience:
Charlie has extensive knowledge and experience in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast fisheries. These species include Sea Scallops, Whelks, Golden Tile, Wreck Fish, Rock Shrimp, Royal Reds, Snowy Grouper, Deepwater Grouper, Dolphin, Mackerel, and coastal shrimp. He is the former owner of commercial shrimping vessels and the current owner of four snapper/grouper vessels. Sapelo Sea Farms has worked with the University of Georgia Marine Extension in the aquaculture of several types of shellfish. He was a member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from 2009-2018 and was termed out as Chairman.
Fisheries Management Philosophy:
Our fisheries are a public resource. The ability of the public to access this resource in a sustainable manner is one of the keys to good management. Science and stakeholder input, although hard to fit into fishery formulas, but also essential to good management. It isn’t easy to balance various stakeholder needs but working closely with those on the water is imperative.