While many teenagers struggle to figure out what they want to do with their lives, 15-year-old Cruze Newell has already made the first step in achieving his goals.
Newell, a resident of Volger’s Cove, Nova Scotia, has been fishing lobster with his family for the past three years. He had it in his mind from a young age that he wanted to carry on the family tradition.
“My family has been in that for generations,” said Newell. “I always liked fishing, so I thought it would be cool to have it as a job.”
With the help of his parents, Newell saved up money from three years of lobster harvesting, totalling around $60,000. Contrary to how some in his age demographic may spend $60,000, Newell decided to purchase a 23-foot fishing vessel that he named Lil Fella.
“My dad told me about it. It was one of his old boats that he had, so I bought it off of him. I had a guy come down, and me and him fixed it up,” said Newell.
“I named it the Lil Fella. I just really liked the name. I’m a big guy, right? So, I thought it would be cool to have a boat named the Lil Fella.”
In 2025, Newell is hoping to make some more money lobstering to get himself a herring license for his very own enterprise. Newell, who is home schooled, has also chosen to drop out of school to focus on his dream career.
“That will be next year when I’m 16,” said Newell. “I’m going to do lobster. That’s probably going to be my main fishing for most of my career.”
Beyond the short-term goals of getting his fishing career off the ground, Newell also shared a long-term goal of his.
“My goal is to be better than my father,” said Newell. “He’s pretty good, so it’s going to take me a long time. He’s been fishing his whole life. He’s almost 70 now, and he’s got his own boat, the God is Good. From what I’ve heard, he’s one of the best in the fishery… He doesn’t think it’s going to happen, but we’re going to have to find out.”
