Martie Bouw is used to getting stares when he drives his load down the highway.
He makes a living hauling 800,000 pounds of live eels up and down the East Coast each year.
"It's a pretty nerve-wracking job, because you have to make sure the eels are kept alive," Bouw says. That means stopping every two hours to be sure the oxygen and temperature readings are at their proper levels.
Helping in the transport are the customized Reinke flatbed trailers Holland Seafood uses that hold 22 fiberglass tanks, a Hiab crane with a 42-foot reach, two air compressors and two liquid oxygen bottles. The trailers also include a front lift axle to save on tires.
"We run a lot of empty loads on the way back from a delivery, so the front lift axle definitely helps," Bouw says.
Bouw joined Holland Seafood in 1986, and then moved to Arapahoe, N.C. to run the company in 1991.
Today, he supervises four employees and two trucks, while also making deliveries himself.
Eels make up the majority of his loads, although the company also transports live fish along the Atlantic coast. The slippery cargo is picked up as far south as Florida and Mississippi and delivered to New York, Pennsylvania and Toronto. Given that eels aren't yet a popular meal in the U.S., most of them end up being shipped to Europe, Bouw says.
"Eel deliveries are seasonal, from March to June, then from September to November," Bouw says. "The rest of the year, we're hauling striped bass or catfish."
Because Bouw's trucks are one-of-a-kind, he's used to being asked what he's carrying. He's painted an eel on the side of the truck, to match the eagle with an American flag he's painted on the hood.
"Everybody asks if I'm hauling snakes," Bouw says.
Having a dad who makes his living hauling eels is fun for Bouw's children, a 10-year-old daughter, and two sons, ages 13 and 15. He's been married for 24 years, although his wife isn't as keen on his cargo.
"The kids like to come with me when they have the time," Bouw says. "They'll go in the tank with the eels. They're not afraid."
Specs
- Company: Holland Seafood
- Tractor: Volvo 610
- Trailer: Reinke flatbed
- Load: 5,500 gallons of water; 22,000 pounds of eels
Eel Facts
- Length: Average 2 feet; can grow as long as 6 feet
- Weight: 3-5 pounds
- Home: Freshwater rivers and lakes; open ocean
