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ORAL HISTORY

Pete and Clara Gerica, fisherman/seafood purveyors

Pete Gerica was born to an oyster fisherman, but he didn’t like oysters. Instead, he got into the shrimping business, and fin fishing followed. Later, he began processing seafood to sell at the farmers’ market, and also works with friends in the community to lobby for and defend fisheries against changing guidelines that threaten the business. Before Hurricane Katrina, Clara says their home of Bayou Sauvage was heaven, surrounded by pelicans, egrets, and herons. They rode out the storm at home, watching houses around them fall and neighbors displaced. The storm swept away their roof; walls folded in, and the house collapsed. They floated in deep water, separated from their daughter, before finding safety on a boat nearby. After the hurricane, the Gericas are determined to fix their boat and resume fishing. Why do they stick with it? “It’s a labor of love,” Pete says. Adds Clara: “It’s in his blood.”