The history, culture and allure of Door County, Wisconsin are defined by two things: family-owned businesses and fishing. The 70-mile peninsula is bordered by Green Bay and Lake Michigan with roots dating back generations, especially when it comes to family-owned fishing operations. Traditions here run deep from the iconic Door County fish boils to the simplistic and wholesome family vacations that are as popular today as they were in the 1800s.

Carin Stuth, owner of Baileys Harbor Fish Company with her husband, is proud to continue her family’s involvement in the fishing industry that started four generations ago with her great-grandfather who was a fisherman, logger and sailor. From the 1930s to 1950s, fishermen created a side income by pooling their fish to sell. That’s when Stuth’s grandfather, a shipbuilder, turned to fishing to supplement the family’s income before organized commercial fishing operations even existed.

Immigrants Jeff and Pat Hickey with son Leif (little boy) and Carin Stuth’s parents in 1975 laying the foundation for fourth generation owned Baileys Harbor Fish Company. Photo by Carin Stuth 

By the 1960s fishing was a viable industry in Door County. Stuth’s father and uncle evolved the family’s side business into a full-fledged commercial fishing operation. Wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps, Stuth left her office job in 2018 to carry on the family business and take it in a new direction. Today, she is the only active licensed female commercial fisherman in Wisconsin.  

“My commercial fishing background is a way of life,” said Stuth. “My Dad had me and my brother on boats as toddlers. I know no different! These experiences have driven me and my husband to expand our retail fish market from a small word of mouth operation to new customers each season.” 

Baileys Harbor Fish Company is one of only three remaining major family-run fishing operations active in Door County. Those numbers represent a nearly extinct industry when you compare them to the approximately 400 licensed fishermen that operated and thrived along the peninsula in the 1800 and 1900s. 

The pressures of things like changing weather conditions, fishing regulations and invasive species have pushed many of the family-run fishing operations out of business. The few that are left survive by adapting, expanding and getting involved in research and regulations, even paying for it out of their own pockets. 

These family operations that also include Henriksen Fisheries and Fish House, were built on the backbone of hard work fueled by passion and motivation, and that’s just how they approach their survival.

“I think the fishing industry is important culturally and economically to the Peninsula,” said Charles Henriksen, co-owner of Henriksen Fisheries and Fish House that has operated for over 40 years. “It has been here since the first settlers arrived, and Native Americans fished before that. Family-run businesses are the backbone of our community.” 

Losing these businesses would mean losing a key part of Door County’s foundation and the reason that visitors love to come to this quiet peninsula to enjoy a much simpler way of life.

Henriksen Fisheries catching local species like whitefish and perch. Photo by Brett Kosmider

A Door County tradition

Walk into any Door County restaurant and you are certain to see cheese curds and whitefish on the menu. These are expected culinary staples in the 13 villages that make up the communities along the peninsula. 

The family-run fishing industry is one of the founding industries of Door County dating back to when the area’s first Scandinavian and German settlers emigrated from Europe and instituted cod fishing with gill nets. 

Like Stuth’s grandfather, most of the early fishermen used the sale of fish to supplement their family income. Many were loggers or farmers who worked in the shipyards in Sturgeon Bay, which opened new opportunities for their fishing side businesses.

“Once the roads were established in Door County this created an opportunity for the northern Door County settlers to get to Sturgeon Bay, the main city,” said Stuth.

Thriving on the opportunity to extend their network, fishermen started the days before dawn checking nets then returning to shore, where the fish were cleaned, packaged then shipped by ferry to Chicago and New York.

1940s fishing tug boat. Photo by Carin Stuth

As shipping routes were established and grew along the peninsula, so too did tourism. This provided opportunities for wealthy visitors from the big cities to travel to Door County for vacation. By the early 1900s steamships and railroads brought people to Door County during the hot summer months to get away from the pollution of the cities and to enjoy the natural air conditioning of Lake Michigan. 

Traditional Door County Fish Boil. Photo by Jon Jarosh

As tourism blossomed in Door County from about 1870 until the end of the 19th century, so did the need for pubs and restaurants. Enter the use of native fish on menus, and the iconic Door County Fish Boil. 

“Our fish boil tradition helps keep the local custom alive and provides a unique dining experience for our visitors, seasonal residents and year-round residents,” said Jon Jarosh, chief communications officer for Destination Door County. “A Door County fish boil meal ties in at least two local food sources — whitefish, and Door County cherries, which you’ll find in the pie for dessert.”

The Scandinavian immigrants looking for an economical way to feed many workers in the 1800s turned to fish boiling. It’s a process that involves locally caught whitefish boiled in a large kettle on an open fire. Today’s fish boils that tourists experience include a fireside spectacle orchestrated by a boil master and an evening of storytelling and unforgettable food, including homemade cherry pie.  

“Authentically prepared fish boils are not easily replicated, particularly the fiery boil over finale, so the experience of attending a fish boil is special in and of itself. Add in the deliciousness of the meal and the photo opportunities along the way and it ends up being a very memorable dining experience that you’ll only find in Door County,” said Jarosh.

The Baileys Harbor Fish Company operates on a sense of responsibility to recognize their continued role in the Door County business and tourism landscape. The company holds four Wisconsin Commercial Fishing Licenses and a Wisconsin Wholesale Fish Dealer License to fish for whitefish, perch, chubs and smelt in the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

“The history, the conservation of a resource, and a hard-working family is what has brought success to our county,” said Stuth. “As a native resident, raising children in the same community I grew up in, I want to make things better then I even experienced. That can only lend to tourists enjoying their Door County trip or even impact these people to relocate here.”

For Henriksen Fisheries, providing fish as a food source for both residents and visitors is more than just a job—it is a commitment to home and the philosophy that the company has relied on for more than four decades.

“Being food producers that provide a healthy, sustainable, local product is a sacred trust that we take very seriously,” said Henriksen. 

A day on the water for Henrikson Fisheries. Photo by Brett Kosmider 

Changing times

Long-standing traditions and a commitment to community are not the only things that the remaining Door County family-owned fisheries share. Unfortunately, they also all face significant challenges to stay in business that threaten the foundation of what this cottage peninsula was built on. Issues like environmental changes, food preferences in restaurants, invasive species and tightening regulations are battles they contend with daily.

Inclement weather on the Great Lakes already poses challenging conditions for commercial fishing operations with gale force winds on Lake Erie and Green Bay pushing 10-plus-foot waves and fierce ice conditions during other times of the year. Environmental changes have only compounded the big water challenges.

The next challenge is invasive species. It is a growing problem for which commercial fisheries have little control.

“The mussel invasion has been the worst,” said Henriksen. “It upset the entire food web and disturbed spawning grounds. Chubs, whitefish and perch have all suffered.”

The invasive sea lamprey that came from the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-1900s drove native trout and whitefish in Lake Michigan to near extinction, bringing an end to the boom of the fish trade along the peninsula with no fish left to catch. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources identifies 188 non-native species in Lake Michigan but not all of them are considered invasive, meaning they are not likely to cause environmental harm.

There are plenty of other plant and animal species around Green Bay and the shores of Lake Michigan that are invasive and destructive including the European frogbit, curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, round goby, non-native Phragmites/common reed, starry stonewort, zebra/quagga mussels and spiny waterflea.

Invasive species threaten the native species population by competing for food and habitat, altering the composition of aquatic communities with a negative ripple effect on the natural food chain, impact on sportfishing opportunities, degrading habitat and negatively impacting wildlife and water quality.

To control invasive species, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources invests $4 million a year of state funding and $1 million in grants to monitor, manage and outreach to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. 

White Gull Inn Fish Boil plate. Photo by Jon Jarosh

The third challenge family fisheries face is managing the supply and demand as consumer preferences change and what restaurants are serving on local menus. Local native fish like perch and whitefish, the fish that is used in the popular Door County Fish Boils and in other recipes at restaurants, are declining as menu options.

“We try to educate the restaurant owners, chefs and visitors about our fisheries and encourage the use of whitefish and perch on menus,” said Stuth. “The greater seafood industry is focused on saltwater and coastal fish versus freshwater and Great Lakes fish proteins. The average traveler will look for salmon, halibut, or tuna options, mostly because they have not been exposed to our native species. A large part of what I do in our retail and restaurant wholesale business is educate. Hopefully persuade people to try these fish or have a chef buy our local catch.”

While these family-run businesses continue to adapt to change, they cite their biggest challenge by far as being the tightening fishing regulations.

Carin Stuth says her father, Dennis Hickey, has worked tirelessly at the State Capital promoting the commercial fishery to show that the Baileys Harbor Fish Company and other Door County operations are making an impact on the economy and the need for native fish stocks for their business to survive.

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources does not see the fish stocks in the same manner as we do in the commercial fishery. Much of the state’s effort has been in the sport fish industry as they feel it brings more money to the state,” said Stuth.

This issue is so critical to their business survival that the family personally funded a recent fish assessment in the bay of Green Bay.

“The importance was for us to illustrate that the whitefish stocks have excellent population numbers and therefore a large catch allocation should be given. Eventually the Wisconsin DNR granted the request but unfortunately added other restrictions. We feel these restrictions were unwarranted,” said Stuth.

Henriksen Fisheries agrees that the commercial fisheries are a scapegoat of overzealous regulations that position them unfairly as a nuisance to the sport fishing industry.

“We actually pose no threat,” said Henriksen.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says that regulations are derived from annual surveys conducted across a variety of native and non-native species in Lake Michigan and they focus on both sport and commercially important species.

“The DNR supports the commercial fishery and its importance to the economy and the citizens of the state. DNR staff work closely with commercial fishers in Lake Michigan, including the waters of Door County, and in close association with the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board (LMCFB). All user groups including sport, commercial, charter, fishing guides, wild bait harvesters etc. are important to us. All user groups have regulations which are one of the tools we use to maintain sustainable fishery resources,” said representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The commercial family fisheries push forward finding ways to adapt and stay relevant amid the changing environmental, social and regulatory challenges that they face every day.

Carin Stuth prepping her fishing boat for the season. Photo by Carin Stuth

Survival of the fittest

The fishing operations have faced these challenges head-on and continue to do so by diversifying their operations and adapting to change while continuing to advocate for a sustainable fishery in Lake Michigan.

“Being part of this historical endeavor and surviving in a difficult business that constantly challenges us is a great honor,” said Henriksen. “The main way we stay in business is by being adaptive to change, diversified as much as possible and working as hard as is necessary.” 

Some of the ways Henriksen Fisheries has done that include purchasing quota shares, finding new locations to fish, shifting the use of gear, developing a processing business and branching into retail. 

Henriksen has also expanded into politics, almost out of necessity.

“Working on these issues to protect our industry has been my passion,” said Henriksen who is the governor-appointed chair of the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing board and has served as president of the Wisconsin Commercial Fisheries Association and other entities for decades.

Other operations are surviving by exploring new ventures by expanding facilities and getting into the wholesale business. Approximately 75% of the fish caught by the Baileys Harbor Fish Company is sold wholesale throughout the U.S. and to international markets, but their survival is also dependent on being a key stakeholder in fisheries research and regulations. 

“Being a part of the commercial fishing industry requires me to be active in policymaking at our state level as well as a national level. We have to advocate for the sustainability of our fisheries, for the environmental protection of our waterways, and credible healthy food products,” said Stuth. 

The company created a sister company called Hickey Bros. Research LLC to step up their presence in the regulation arena.

“The Hickey Bros’ drive to research our fish stocks in the bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan began in the 1980s with my Dad (Dennis Hickey) working with UW-Stevens Point and U.S. Fish & Wildlife on fisheries assessment. They needed gear and boats to conduct research. He jumped at the chance to get research done. We did these projects with no pay, just our drive to see the data,” said Stuth,

Stuth says that the knowledge they gained from commercial fishing drives their strategy and passion for the conservation of the lakes and added to their credibility with legislators to further the commercial fishing industry. Being involved in the conservation side of the fishing industry fosters additional support from customers who also want to be a part of sustainability efforts. 

Henriksen Fisheries commercial fishing operations in Lake Michigan. Photo credit: Brett Kosmider

The test of time

With constantly changing dynamics, where do the Wisconsin family-owned fisheries go from here?

“I think the remaining businesses that are operating successfully now will continue,” said Henriksen. 

While the outlook from the operators is optimistic, survival won’t be without a fight.

“I know very simply that the 46 Commercial Fishing licenses in the state of Wisconsin will continue to decline,” said Stuth. “Entry into the commercial fishery is extremely expensive. Commercial fishing gear, boats and dock space just cost more each year.”

The one advantage that these family businesses have that no one can take away is tradition. Many of them still have waterfront docks that have been passed down for generations and commercial fishing boats that date back to the 1940s and 50s that remain in the family.

“I believe it’s important to celebrate the history but look for the sustainability of the industry and relevance in the business climate,” said Stuth. “As long as the conversations are happening, I feel we have a better chance at surviving.  I have three wonderful sons that I am raising in the commercial fishing industry, and I am the only Wisconsin-licensed fisherman that can say they have another generation to come.”

This important Door County tradition and industry will survive, even in small numbers, as long as those that are left continue to fight for it.