PEOPLE OF INTEREST
97
HENRY CAIMOTTO
Age: 72
Occupation: Tackle shop owner
and conservationist
Hometown: Jensen Beach
Family: Son Fred, 38; daughter
Ally, 28
What inspires me: “Seeing
someone be successful catching
fish and asking them, ‘What
did you do with them? Threw them back?’ Even better.”
Something most people don’t know about me: “I was a
hairdresser for 20 years.”
Hurricane Matthew
in the Bahamas.
“I was born and
raised in Stuart and
grew up loving to
fish,” Price says. “If
your life has involved
the water in our area,
you know the name
Henry Caimotto. I
grew up watching
him on TV to get
insight on where I
wanted to fish with
my dad and uncle on
weekends. As a kid,
nothing made me
prouder as a fisherman
People
People
People
than getting a picture taken with a big snook in the winner’s
circle outside of the Snook Nook.
“Henry is a pioneer for fish conservation and clean water
for our rivers. He has set the bar time and again, fighting for
better water quality to ensure our children’s children will
enjoy the Indian River Lagoon and the joy its thriving ecosystem
can provide to local anglers,” Price says.
The Rivers Coalition efforts spawned The River Warriors,
a group of children and their parents who have been to
Washington, D.C., raising money and awareness to fight the
discharges and save our rivers. The organization is a “great
effort that needs to be expanded” for the future of Treasure
Coast waterways, Caimotto says.
“People want to see changes only to be pushed back and
they are paying more attention to our water quality,” says
Caimotto, who has left day-to-day operations at the Snook
Nook to his son, Fred.
“I like to be a pain in corporate ass,” he says. “We have
to buy the land south of the lake. There are areas where we
can buy the land and treat the water. Agriculture could care
less because it is not to their financial advantage. The money
is too big on their side. I blame the politicians. They know
where they get their money from. They won’t do a damn
thing and it frustrates the hell out of me. It is not rocket science.
If it is not good for Big Ag, it is not good for the rest of
the world, sad to say.”
The fight for clean waters on the Treasure Coast will
continue with many of the new generation of river warriors
inspired by the legacy of Henry Caimotto.
People
People
After almost 30 years of running the Jensen
Beach tackle shop, Caimotto has passed the
torch to his son, Fred, left.
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