Tag Archives: shrimping
African Americans in seafood industry heart of new exhibit
Capt. John Mallette grew up fishing but didn’t come from a fishing family. Born and reared around Sneads Ferry and the Topsail area, he said his mother worked in real estate in Wilmington and his father was one of Ocean City’s original developers and bought a home there in 1950. Ocean City was established on Topsail Island in 1949 and was “the first place where Black people could have oceanfront property” in the state, Mallette recently told Coastal Review. The motel had a pier, and “I pretty much lived on the pier fishing as a little kid,” he continued. “There was a lady who had One Stop Bait & Tackle in Surf City — Betty Warren, she’s long passed away now — but she would babysit me, basically, and I would sit there and help sell seafood and head shrimp and filet flounder. And then her husband, Preston, would take me out shrimping in the waterway with him, and that’s how I got started commercial fishing and just never stopped. I just grew into it and started running boats.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:34
Commercial Fisherman Norman E. Carter, better known as “Pepa” of Waldoboro, Maine. has passed away
Norman E. Carter, better known as “Pepa,” passed away Jan. 18, 2025, in Bremen from his battle with cancer. He was born in Damariscotta on Nov. 19, 1961, the son of Fernald and Carrie Sanborn Carter. He was a lifelong resident of Waldoboro and attended Waldoboro schools; he began his career as a fisherman. Norman went to New Bedford, Mass. and worked on a scallop boat. He made many trips there. When he was home, he was a hard worker and took care of his family as a clamdigger, lobsterman, shrimping, elvering, and other jobs. He cut his own wood and hauled it to keep his family warm; family was everything to him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:12
Oak Island’s Hisler family endures Gulf Coast fishing trials
I had the pleasure of visiting with George William “Bill” Hisler of Oak Island and his son, George Hisler, both involved in the fishing industry of Oak Island, Texas. Bill is the grandson of George W. Hisler and Lois Gertrude Gregory. Lois was the granddaughter of John Thomas and Jerusha Watson of Chambers County. During the early 1900s, John Watson operated a schooner between Galveston and Lake Charlotte. In 1926, at the tender age of 14, Lois married George W. Hisler, who was 36 years her senior. She moved to the Pelly oilfield, where George had lived since 1906. Together, George and Lois had one daughter, Thelma Louise, and three sons, Robert, Billy Gene, and Johnny. George died in 1946, leaving Lois a widow at the age of 34 to raise their four children. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Gov. Jeff Landry denounced a $3 billion coastal restoration plan. Shrimpers are thrilled.
It’s becoming harder to get by as a shrimp boat captain. The cost of fuel is up, but the price of shrimp is going down. And in grocery stores, cheap imported shrimp is outcompeting their wild-caught product, shrimpers say. On top of that, the shrimpers see a massive coastal restoration project as a threat to their livelihood. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, 
the cornerstone of the state’s plan to protect Louisiana’s rapidly eroding coastline, proposes to slice open a section of the levee that keeps North America’s largest river from its natural wanderings and allow freshwater and sediment to enter the Barataria Basin, where the shrimpers work. “The scientists, they’re working toward one main goal,” said Andry, and “it is not to preserve culture here.” But lately the fishermen have had reason for optimism after Gov. Jeff Landry signaled his opposition to the project, which has been in limbo for the last several months. Echoing many shrimpers, he said the project would “break our culture.” Many of those whose livelihoods depend on the basin share Landry’s assessment. 23 photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:46
Bluffton mayor’s shrimp boat saved after capsizing off coast of Hilton Head Island
Larry Toomer was guided by a feeling when he sailed his shrimp boat off the coast last weekend. “It was a feeling that I needed to go there, and I was right,” Toomer said. “We found the shrimp.” Then misfortune found the longtime shrimper and mayor of Bluffton. A cable snapped Sept. 1 as Toomer and his friend lifted a heavy net of shrimp and jellyfish onto their boat, the Red Baron. The shrimp had to be thrown back to sea before the 25-foot fiberglass boat could sail onward. Toomer had just pushed the last of the haul off the side when a large rogue wave hit and overtook the vessel’s stern. There was too much water for the two men to bail out. Their only option was to get the boat as close to the Hilton Head beach as possible even as it began to capsize. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:23
Local shrimpers set to rally this weekend to raise awareness against imports
Kerry Mitchell and her husband know the challenges that come with shrimping for a living. Her husband Michael is out dragging his net off Dauphin Island. The couple owns “Salty Pirates Seafood” — and will tell you — the money is not like it used to be — mainly due to the U.S. market being flooded with shrimp from overseas. “We don’t have a level playing field. Even the government is financially supporting it,” said Kerry. The Save Our Shrimpers Act, a federal bill introduced in April of this year aims to stop that. The rally is this Saturday at the “Shrimp Lady” restaurant in Satsuma (5523 Highway 43) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. They’ll be local shrimpers, live music — as well as boiled Gulf Coast shrimp for those in attendance. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:29
Retired commercial fisherman Hiram Allen Gerrish of Winter Harbor, Me. has passed away
Hiram Allen Gerrish, 85, of Winter Harbor, passed peacefully at home June 20, 2024. He was born July 3, 1938, in Gerrishville, to parents Gib and Lillian (Hamilton). Hiram attended Winter Harbor schools and first worked as a teenager at Milt Torrey’s sawmill and egg farm. He then pursued his love for the ocean and went seining, lobster fishing, shrimping and scalloping. He met and married Nancy Ray, and they were together for 63 amusing years. Together they raised four unique children, Pam, Bonny, Allen and Kevin. Hiram was a founding member of the Winter Harbor Co-op and an active member of the fire department. He was very passionate and dedicated to town government. In 1977, he started working for the Dixon family until his retirement in 2016. Many of his local friends and neighbors relied on his knowledge, expertise and assistance with fishing gear, motors, electrical problems, welding and building projects. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:07
Coastal Georgia Shrimping: A new season of uncertainty, possibilities and hope
In a word, “difficult,” said Dee Kicklighter of their most recent shrimping season. Kicklighter, who has worked with Mathews for about eight years, has seen first-hand how the unpredictability of the business can be costly. “You plan for something to be one price, and then the next week you come back, and it could be potentially thousands of dollars more, depending on what you’re dealing with,” he said of fluctuating prices, including fuel. Over the years, Mathews said the ever-changing cost of fuel has taken a toll on the number of shrimpers in the industry. It’s not just Georgia shrimpers contending with the negative effects from imports. North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and other coastal states are also feeling the friction of narrowing profit margins that threaten their way of life. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:15
Shrimping: an endangered tradition
The salty ocean air, the smell of pluff mud, seafood restaurants line the streets, yet shrimp boats sit docked at the harbor. This is the scene pictured in the future by local shrimper and president of South Carolina’s Shrimpers Association, Rocky Magwood, as a result of imported shrimp. Shrimping has long been a tradition and staple of the local Charleston industry, with generations of shrimpers selling their product locally and beyond. A proud heritage and position for many shrimpers. However, as a result of increasingly high levels of imported shrimp, local shrimping jobs are at risk, according to Rocky Magwood. “The p rice of shrimp is terrible,” Magwood said. “Most shrimpers are broke right now.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:32
David Rainer: Plash has ‘Gotta Go’ shrimping despite low prices
Doug Plash really can’t help himself, but you can blame it all on his roots. When he’s sitting at home on Plash Island on the banks of the Bon Secour River, the urge to head out in his boat and harvest the tasty crustaceans that are plentiful along Alabama’s Gulf Coast is overwhelming. “There’s a boat across the river named ‘I Gotta Go,’” Plash said in the wheelhouse of his shrimp boat named after his daughters, Melissa, Jennifer and Kristi. “I probably should have named my boat that.” Plash Island came into existence when the Intracoastal Canal was dug in the 1940s, separating the land that is surrounded by the Bon Secour River on the other sides. He is the fifth generation of Plashes to live on the island with his grandfathers buried on the island. One grandfather owned a freight company that used five schooners to haul beer from the Jax Brewery in New Orleans and hauled freight to Mobile. The semi-truck eventually left the schooners at the dock. photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:15
Wild-Caught Shrimp: South Carolina’s Long History
There’s something positively serene about watching shrimp boats trawling our coastal waters. Shrimping has been an important part of our culture in Beaufort and all of South Carolina since long before anyone can remember. In fact it’s been a labor of love for fishermen since before the Civil War and is still alive and kicking today with a thriving market served by dedicated commercial fishermen in the Palmetto State. Shrimp are America’s most valuable and most popular seafood, according to the NOAA Fisheries, and SCDNR tells us that South Carolina is home to three species of shrimp: brown shrimp, white shrimp, and pink shrimp. Brown and white shrimp are more common than pink shrimp, but all three taste the same. >>click to read<< 20:47
Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy
Miss Marilyn Louise, a third-generation commercial fisherwoman, is one of the largest contributors to the seafood supply chain coming through Mayport Inlet. The lifelong resident of Mayport Fishing Village walked me through what it’s like to live a life sustained by the ocean. As a child, Miss Marilyn learned to run shrimp boats from her father and grandfather. She’s since passed her knowledge and experience on to her own children, having taken her son out shrimping with her when he was only 11 days old, noting he had sea legs before he could walk on land. >click to read< 07:56
Along Georgia’s coast, shrimping remains an important industry
Shrimpers are known to be the heart of McIntosh County. However, they face significant challenges leading some to wonder if the industry will survive. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it, and long hours, at times, that goes into it,” Robert Todd said. It’s 4 a.m., as the Sundown and its crew leave the Wait-N-Sea dock in Townsend. “On our vessel right now, there’s three of us on the back deck.,, Todd and McKinzie say it’s a dwindling industry and look toward the younger generation to keep it afloat. “We don’t see the State of Georgia pushing commercial fishermen. This is still a trade. It is a complicated trade because you don’t learn how to commercial fish in a classroom,” >click to read< 16:26
Hundreds attend the 53rd annual Blessing of the Fleet in Darien, Georgia
Sunday, hundreds of people gathered around the waterways of Darien to take part in the 53rd annual Blessing of the Fleet. The tradition celebrates the area’s biggest industry, shrimping. “This is the very heart of the community. For these men and women to know they’re supported means a tremendous amount to them,” said Bill Barton, Priest for St. Andrew’s & St. Cyprian’s Episcopalian Churches. >video, click to read< 13:09
There’s something in the water: Shrimp!
Back in the 1990s, watermen started noticing shrimp were getting caught in their gill nets in waters just off Virginia Beach. Virginia Marine Resources Commission in 2018 issued free shrimp permits to a couple of watermen in Virginia Beach who would haul in 300 pounds of shrimp on a good day. Today, 12 watermen, with permits, work the waters for shrimp and on a good day, the haul is more than a thousand pounds. 100 people applied for 2020 permits but only 12 permits were issued to watermen in Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore in a lottery system. Shrimping is also a game of chance. “One day I think I caught 16 shrimp, two days later [I caught] 1700 pounds,” >video, click to read< 07:34
Sam “Sammy” Lee Liverman, Jr. of Colington, October 28
Sam “Sammy” L. Liverman, Jr. has gone to be with the Lord. He transitioned peacefully from his earthly life in Greenville, NC Monday October 28, 2019. Sammy was born April 18, 1968- the son of Sam and Virginia Liverman, of Colington, NC. Sammy was a proud waterman- fishing, crabbing, and shrimping out of Colington nearly his whole life. In addition to commercial fishing, Sammy was employed with NC DOT for several years as a professional equipment operator.,, Sammy will be remembered by all who knew and loved him. >click to read< 15:32
What’s the future of Port Royal’s waterfront? Here’s what the town is considering
The town of Port Royal was set to welcome a new kind of marine vessel to its waterfront Thursday afternoon. A Maxi 72 racing sailboat will dock in Battery Creek, with its long fixed keel requiring water depth not possible many places on the East Coast. Its arrival is meant to show off the possibilities of the deep channel and introduce other possible uses for the waterfront as town leaders mull whether charter fishing boats, ferries and sails will eventually join or replace some of the iconic shrimp boats that mark one of South Carolina’s last remaining working waterfronts. Increased competition from imported shrimp and an unwillingness of a younger generation to take up shrimping are commonly blamed for the industry’s decline. >click to read<13:02
Speaking of America: ‘Here, you have the freedom’
When the communists came to his Vietnam town, fled to a fishing boat, jammed already with 50 of his wife’s family. As they cast off, they saw a barge filled with refugees sink, “and I saw a couple hundred people die in the water.,, Forty-two years later, he is a man content to see his sons and daughters make their own way as citizens here, even if they do not follow their father back to the sea. He made it here, he says, through exhausting days and nights, pulling shrimp aboard his trawler at sea for a week until the hold was full, and returning to port only long enough to unload and set out again. >click here to read< 10:23 
Bucking rumors of a dying industry, young Lowcountry shrimpers take to the sea.
In pre-dawn’s inky stillness, brackish water floods the back roads leading to Haddrell’s Point near the mouth of Shem Creek on Charleston’s harbor, the full moon’s gravitational pull swelling tides to record heights. Where pavement turns to gravel, a lone street lamp illuminates old signage for the shuttered Wando Shrimp Company, a once vibrant seafood-processing warehouse that closed in 2014 after a sixty-five-year run. There, a ramshackle wooden walkway stretches toward the glaring floodlights of a shrimp trawler named the Miss Paula. Her tangle of furled nets, steel winches, chains, and ropes reach into the night sky. Water laps the dock as three young men pass buckets of ice up onto deck. One by one, their feet anchored in a scupper hole for leverage, they hoist themselves aboard. In an industry dominated by old salts, some of whom have been trawling shrimp for more than fifty years, the Miss Paula is remarkable for the youth of her crew. Captain Vasily “Vasa” Tarvin, at the time of this outing in late 2016, is 25. His deck mate, Franklin Rector, 23. Manning the wheel is Michael Brown, who at the age of 37, wryly pronounces himself “babysitter” on today’s run. click here to continue reading the story. 13:22
“I’ve been commercial fishing since I was a kid,” – Pass Christian man says tonging, fishing, shrimping a family tradition
Work doesn’t really feel like work for Adam Toler, for he spends six days a week surrounded by the Mississippi Sound. He and his small crew leave the Pass Christian Harbor around sunrise each morning and return in the early afternoon with sacks of oysters to sell to seafood dealers as soon as they hit the harbor launch again. The South Mississippi seafood industry is a tradition for Toler’s family. Read the rest here 13:41
