Newspapers / Carteret County News-Times (Morehead … / Oct. 11, 1955, edition 1 / Page 4
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Harold C. Potter Operates Hobucken Wholesale Firm A keen and successful business man in the wholesale fish business ia Harold C. Potter, known as Hal. Owner of six large trawlers which operate from May through Novem ber out of llobucken, N C., Mr. Potter continues a family fishing tradition. His mother's people were fish ermen, and his father, although a farmer by occupation, operated a party boat for many years. The II. C. Potter firm is situated on the banks of the inland water way at llobucken. From December through April, when food fishing activity ill North Carolina waters is at an ebb, the Potter fleet fishes in Florida. Moderaly-Eq nipped All of the boats, including the 48 foot run boat, Sea Fox, are diesel-powered, equipped with ra dio-telephone and fathometers. The boats and their captains are as follows. Pride of Carolina, 68-footer. H. 1, Ireland, llobucken, (this one was the first Hatteras trawler built at the Morehead City Yacht Basin in 1933): Joe and Chickie, 55-footer, W. A. Ireland of Ho bucken; Betty Page, 65-footer, Cecil Swindell of Hobucken. F.velyn K., 65-footer, Hubert E. Potter, Hobucken; Broadbill 11, 55-footer, Ronald Sadler of Ho bucken: and Barbara toorn, 68 footer, Clifton Potter of Lowland. Owen l.upton, llobucken, is cap tain of the Sea Fox. Born and reared in Aurora in Beaufort County, where he ?till live*, Mr. Potter was captain on a Pamlico Sound oyster boat for ten years before he went into the wholesaling end of the aeafood In dustry. For a time the Potter concern handled chiefly oysters, shucking Hal Potter . . . likes hunting a thousand gallons a week (or the first eight or ten years. The firm handles only a few oysters now, having averaged maybe 200 gal lons a week ltoi season. The Ho bueken seafood dealer began deal ing in fish Knd shrimp in 1947. Until he (old oat list (prinf Mr. Totter *l(o owned and op erated a trucking brained, haul ing the company ! seafood as well as that of other dealers. Kelall Business Since 1049. he has been in part nership with his brother, Clyde of Belhaven. in the operation of PMter Brothers Seafood Co. in Washington, N. C. This business Was operated by their brother Kay for eight years before hi( death In the spring of 1949. Melton Evans leases the wholesale part of the business from the brothers. The retail market ia one of the most modern and up-to-date in the state. It operates with the express purpose of pleasing the public. It's a popular place for the house wife to buy fish because not only is it clean and attractive but It also has plenty of parking space. Mr. Potter, tall, heavy-set, pleas ant, is always willing to listen to new ideas. He was one of the first in the state to put oysters up in a consumer pack, a one-pint la beled can. One season he soltf his entire output that way. A steward in the Methodist Church, he is married to the for mer Myrtle Griffen of Aurora. Their three sons are Harold Jr., Lee and Jimmy. Mr. Potter is as enthusiastic about hunting as is his brother Clyde. While hunting fish is his favorite occupation, hunting geese at Mattamuskeet is his favorite pasttime. Shrimp Booms into Major Industry (Continued from Page 1, Section 1) nature of the fish and the virtual indestructibility of the species by man as the fishery is now conduct ed. There are three species of shrimp which are commercially important in the state and which go through similar life cycles, about the only difference being a matter of seasons. It is good, to avoid confusion, that we take one species, and beginning with the e<fs, travel with the creatures through the period of develop ment, on their slow journey from the ocean into our brackish wa ters, up the creeks and rivers to tbeir nurseries and back down the rivers, through the sounds to the ocean where their life began. Because it is one of the most interesting of the shrimps and be cause it is so important commer cially, we'll use the brown spotted shrimp ai our traveling companion. The breeding place of the brown spotted shrimp, like all other shrimp of commercial importance to the state, is the open ocean where the adults lay their eggs in late summer. After fertilization, the eggs develop into larval shrimp which bear no resemblance to the adult shrimp. These larvae undergo a series of molts and changes, growing a little at each stage. All the while they are drifting towards the shore, presumably being carried by shore-bound currents. They are virtually helpless and are tossed here and yon by the waves and torrents Countless millions matt be caught up by storm and wind wares or by adverse currents to be swept out into the open ocean far from shore where they perish, for the full development into ma ture shrimp It dependent upon a growth period in the brackish wa ters of our inland creeks and riv er*. Those which do reach the inlets rfiake their Journey onward to wards the less salty water, whe ther by Instinct or favorable cur rents we do not know. At any rate they travel or are carried on and on to the very limit of salt water, finally coming to rest in the slightly brackish waters of the creeks and rivers, many miles from their breeding ground and the scene of their first develop ment. In transit they hare come to re semble adult shrimp and have taken on the bottom feeding habits of their parents. The tiny shrimp, and they are very tiny, finding themselves in congenial surroundings, the right saltiness of water, a bountiful food supply, and optimum tem peratures settle down at their first temporary home in the inland wa ters. In n little while they are joined by waves of other small shrimp, for the adults in the open ocean lay their eggs over an extended period; and the result is a con tinuous recruitment of small shrimp; and hence over many months the shrimp nurseries are being stocked with one species or another. The young shrimp are active feeders and. grow quite rapidly for Hie Ji^st. fpMf Wfeks u>, their new home. But the winter chill puts a stop to this feeding and growth activity, and in a manner of speak ing puts the shrimp to sleep dur ing the cold months. Movement, feeding and growth practically cease and for a while the ahrimp are more or less dor mant. With the warmth which comes in late winter, however, they become active again, and once more they begin to move, eat and grow. Ai the warmth of the spring becomes more pronounced, all of these functions are greatly accel erated and the growth rate in creases at an incredible speed. In a short period they double and treble their size and almost es tablish i record in the animal world for growth. And aa they grow, they become restless, for it Is time to forsake their temporary home and return to the open ocean from whence they came, there to lay their eggs, to atart the eycle over and to die, slightly over a year after begin ning life. Head for Ocean On their aeaward migration they pass through the sounda enroute to the ocean Inleta, the gateways to the sea. In great hordes they suddenly appear, and It Is during thii time that they become the object of the inland water com mercial fishery, a fishery which last* approximately two months for the brown spotted shrimp. This shrimp appears about mid-May and, ordinarily the early part of July sees the laat of the spring crop. In the fall another crop of brown spotted shrimp makes an appearance of short duration. The shrhnpery of North Caro lina it has been pointed out, con slsts of three species of shrimp. About the time of the disappear ance of the brown spotted shrimp in July, the brown shrimp makes its appearance, to be followed by the green shrimp in August. But each species has followed the same cycle from the sea to the sea; and it is only while they are resident in the sounds and the immediate offshore waters that they are taken commercially. Once at sea they do not return to the inland waters but live the re mainder of their lives beyond the rcach of the fisherman. They may spawn more than once before they die. The question which is asked seriously by concerned individuals is: Can ro#n destroy this livelihood by his relentless search for shrimp? It is doubtful, indeed, and the prevailing opinion is that man should harvest this great crop when it is ripe, for there will be no return of the adult shrimp once they have gained the ocean if the present scientic theory on their movements is correct; and there is no good reason to doubt it. As the farmer harvests his corn, his oats, his soybeans so should the fisherman harvest his shrimp. During their life time no spe cies of shrimp Is subjected to pro longed attack by man in the in land waters of the state, and it Is inconceivable that man with his cumbersome trawl could deplete a shrimpery to such an extent that there would be no brood stock left, even if he set out deliberately to destroy them. Excellent Reproducers The shrimp are prolific, and man's take in a banner year like 1953 would amount to no more than an estimated 420 million in dividual shrimp. At times nature herself has seemed to try to destroy the brood stock. One authenticated case oc curred In Georgia in the early forties. A severe winter reduced the shrimp population to such an extent that days and weeks 'of trawling failed to find one shrimp. They seemed to have gone forever. State and federal authorities were alarmed and considered drastic measures. The confounding and startling thing was that the next year pro duced one of Georgia's greatest shrimp crops. Nature In a more benign mood teemed to soften the blow aad compensate for her pre vious threat. Opportunity Knocks By CHARLES JACK80N Gcicral Manager National Fisheries Institute Thinking back ? few year* on* cannot help but come to the con ciliated that the North Carolina fishing industry haa made tre mendoua strides in a few short years. But an even greater op portunity awaits development Considering the tremendous in crease In population of the state, the establishment of armed ser vice Installations within Its bor ders, the number of new indus tries manifested by the Increase in automdblle and truck owner ship in North Carolina, H would aaaaa that your flatting industry will not have to go far beyond its border* to market Ita pro ducts. ? tory. Your unlveniUae Have ad dad biological stations along the partment ha* expanded its fa cilitiea, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service hat constructed its moat recent and modern laboratory at Beaufort. Not only do you have an abun dance of natural resources in the water of North Carolina, but to day you have the means to ad vance the knowledge Of the In dustry through biological and technological Institution* and fa cilities . Meanwhile, your educational Institution* are training an In creasing number of young people who will specialise in this field. There are a number of ipecie* of fish and shellfish that have not yet been fully utilixed. The same holds true of minerals and other constituents of la-shore 4M(| JfAjiti ana oii-niora wiwn. Opportunity knock* at your door. The question Is? will the fhMrMft shd the fishing Indus try of North Owrtitf take ad vantage of^tiheae opportunities STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR'S OFFICE RALEIGH September 2, 1955 Mr. Lockwood Phillips CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES Morehead City, North Carolina Dear Mr. Phillipfe: I Wish to congratulate you on your enterprise in publishing a special edition devoted to the interests of the commercial fishermen of the State and containing numerous factual articles which will bring this industry into sharp relief in the minds of your readers. I think that it is an enterprise well worth the time and effort of a newspaper publisher, and more especially when the newspaper is published in the section which is so important in the commercial fisheries picture. It is the purpose of my administration to do everything possible in the way of aiding the commercial fishing industry to become even more important. Every step we take that will increase the per capita income of those who make their living from the products of the sea will mean that much more in the way of comfortable living for the families of the fishermen. I do not think any phase of my administration is more important than the program to increase the aver age earning power of all our citizens, and those like you who are adding in this have my most Sincere appreciation. I also wish to commend the North Carolina Fisheries Association for ifs constructive work on behalf of the fishermen. This organization can, and I am sure will, supply the leadership for the fishing industry to the end that more modern and progressive methods may be utilized in handling their products. With the cooperation of all, I believe we can make the fishing industry one of much greater importance to those engaged in it and to the citizens of the State generally. I pledge my efforts to do all in my power to bring this about. Luther H. Hoooes governor Modernization Builds Bright Future for Pogy Industry By W. H. POTTER Beaufort We are told that Mannswlult teaug is the Indian word from which the menhaden got its name. The Indian name mean* "ttUt which manures." If the menhaden h*d anything to say about it, its name would now be changed be cause very little of the menhaden products end up as a fertiliser. The fish ia known by many names, especially in these waters as "pogy." About 99 per cent of the prod ucts manufactured from the meaty bodies of the menhaden end up as high potency feed. The oil from the fatty tiKues Is now used pri marily in foreign countries for sostp base and to some degree for dn oleo substitute. We in America have outgrown "fish oil" soap arid have most of it made from a pe troleum base snd, while not im possible, do not yet crave an oleo from fish oil. Heavy Indnatry Here North Carolina contributes heav ily to the menhaden industry. The South port plants and one o I those located at Beaufort operate throughout the entire year. The others get into operation in Octo ber and remain open until mid January. These plants which op erate the short season are parts Of east coast companies which have plants loos ted at strategic places for high production. Actually there are ia the neigh borhood of 300 million menhaden taken from North Carolina waten. This sdunds like s lot of fish bat as a part of the national total of 2,200 2.400 million, it is only ? smsll portion. From North Carolina's contribu tion of MO million (normal year) the foil owing ia produced: H.ooo tons of fish meal (or fish scrap); 2,000.000 gallons fish oil, and 1,000 000 gallons fish solubles. These products snd the money de rlv?m from them add considerable to the economy of our stste. runes Help The actual catching of the men hsdsn ia the most interesting of the procesa. Airplanes, piloted by ? ii si ts Itfci til t! l<La ii sa ^xpprirncra piioiii wno uro now ?hat to IMI for. *e ftrtft fM Htsly fishing ?' are reported to the boat captains: thick water, mud-royals, flicks, whipping fish, color, heavy concen trations of birds, whales, sharks ? all of these signs mean something to the fishing crews. On receiving information indi cating a possible profitable catch, the boats move to the proper areas. Here, with planes overhead, con tinuously repeating information in which the fishing boat crews are Interested, the nets are set and if all of the dangers and mishaps are overcome, the fish are caught and loaded aboard the fish cargo boat. Ho, She's Fall It is during this operation of netting the fish and loading them aboard the mother ship, either with a balling rig or through the use of a dredge boat type centrifugal pump, that the popular chanting if done. A happy crew of 29 or more fishermen can reach harmony unbelievable even to themselves when the acta arc full of fish. After the fish are loaded on board, a race Is on among the boats to reach the processing plants early enough to allow return to the fishing areas In time for the next day's fishing. Sometime* the fishing areas are more than one hundred miles from the processing plants. Even with all the haiards of fiah Ing, stormy weather, unfavorable winds, bad bottom*, sunken wrecks, arid periods preventing fish feed ing, broken nets either from attack by sharks or weakness from age or ?train from too aaany fish, or scar city of flah ? fishing is a profit able enterprise, both for the fish erman and the inveator*. 1Mb Area V?Upu During the fall flatting aeaaon, the period from mid-October until mid-January the B?aufort-lt*r? head City area repreaentt the only Place in the United States where menhaden are landed and process ed into <h* end product* of meal alid oil. This fact attract* a large number o f fishing boats to this "flils number variea from fifty to seventy -flv?, depending on the market condition* and the pros ?acts of good or medlocr* fishing. Thoae Who listen on the shortwave radio to obtain information of feaaKiarjs tla. . U I frequently: Rockaway (Capt. Wiley Lewis), Princess Bay (Capt. Fred Haynie), Promised Land (Capt. Joe Buttry), Elmo (Capt. Berkley Simpson). Admiral (Capt. Dewey Willis), Core Sound (Capt. George Lewis). Geo. P. Nickerson (Capt. Curtis Lewis), Charlotte T. (Capt. John Potter), Charles J. Colona (Capt. Gene Swift), John 0. (Capt. John Lowry), and others. The names Wallace, Smith, Qninn, Anderson, Haynie, Ham- ' phreys, Hayes, Potter, Plaxco, Cor- 1 bett, Santos and others, immedi- 1 ately call attention to those men ' ashore who have the reins of the 1 industry in hand. Future L*ok> Bright The future of menhaden fishing holds much in store for all who are | engaged In H. Modernization of plants and fishing equipment has , added lota to production and his , minimised risks. One of the great haiards of fire diminished when newer methods of drying fish scrap with steam dryers were introduced. Contamination of fish oils ia a thing of the past since the Intro duction of continuous centrifuges. Quality of fish meal la maintained through the preservation of fish prior to processing and production control and testing throughout the process. Better application of bus iness methods has enhanced the availability of capital. Better pack aging has facilitated sales and storage. The greatest future lies in (tore for those who will be sble to re move the present limiting factor of unae aworthy net boats and those who will be able to lengthen the fulling m (sons In varioao areas throagh new methods of detection, study o< fish habit* and newer add different metboda of catching flak Among animals there seems (o prevail some sort of protective in stinct. Birds haw It and uae It In their seasonal migrations warrh Ing for food and tar proper en vironment for blooding. Fish have it and oae It in somewhat the same manner. Two facto apply? the bird* have the who1* of tM air to move end hide In; fish have the whole it the mom uae all hi* ingenuity to capture the elualve flab io hit seines. W. T. Davies Picks Morehead As Business Site Liking what they saw when they came to Morehead C(ty for their annual vacation In IMS, Mr. and Mrs. William T. Davies decided that Morehead City would be an ideal place to have a business of their own. Mr. Davies, better known at Bill, whose previous experience ran the gamut from construction work to being a certified public accountant in Falls Church, Va., finally came to Morehead City to stay in De cember, 1953. Hia wife, Margaret, decided that ahe wasn't going to return to Virginia! In February 1*54, Mr Davies took over aa man ager of the Morehead City Ship ping Co., a branch of the Wil mington Shipping Co. of Wilming ton, N. C. The firm acta as steamship and forwarding agents? supplies steve dores and acta aa customhouse Mrokers. In the apring of 1894, the Davies' opened the Capt. Chris Service Station at Atlantic Beach. The ser vice station is named for the Davies' little boy. No# Busbies* Started on the heels of Hurri cane Hazel, la the net business which the Davies believe is the best one. A building owned by Louis Guthrie on Shackleford Street in Morehesd City was in bad shape following the hurricane and the Daviea decided to buy it They purchaaed the building, and at the same time they also bought a home two doors from the build '"fn March of this year, after ex tern** renovation, they opened the buaineaa, Davies Net Co. Among the products that are available to fishermen at the com pany are neta on the ahelf or made to order; trawls, flat or balloon; giU nets, channel or sink, seines ? purse ? drag ? straight ? haul; top quality domestic and imported netting, boots, trawl boards, ropes and chains. For those Who wish to purchase neta, dent be Misled when you wrlk into the building, since all of IM nets an kept ee lb* second a**raTriu.ra.fyhki, Beaufort firm Serves Fishermen Of Southeast Bob Slater, native Ohioan. and BUI Ipock, native Tar He*l, met, liked each other, and derided to start a partnership business. That business is the Machine and Supply Co. located on the causeway just west of Beaufort. From Its beginning in 1943 un til 1948. the company operated as a partnership. Mr. Ipock had ex perience in machine shop business and Mr. Slattr had a chemical en gineering degree from Georgia Tech, so with that background the business was a natural for the pair. Before Machine t Supply was located in Beaufort, Ipock was as sociated with the Craven Foundry and Machine Co., in New Bern. Slater had been engaged in the chemical engineering business, de signing and building chemical plants in Florida and North Caro lina. He designed the plant in Beaufort owned by Sperti Chemi cal Co. BMifc on Carteret After a good deal of looking aronnd for a promising site, Mr. Slater and Mr ipock became aware that Carteret County needed a business such as they would es tablish. They both liked this sec tion, so plans were made to begin work. According to Mr. Slater, the two really know how to build a business "from the ground up." Their first job was to cut trees from Mr. Ipock's farm: this lum ber provided the roof over their new business. Turning to the sand pile, they then mixed and poured their own concrete and did the ac tual labor in getting the building finished. The business was small at first. All they had was a machine shop and a few hundred dollars worth of merchandise. Since their begin ning was in the crucial war years, they found it hard to obtain goods to sell, so the business was slow in getting a good start. Besides that handicap, Mr. Sla ter was called into military ser vice, but during his leave of ab sence, Mr. Ipock kept the com pany alive. When Mr. Slater was released from military duty, and the end of the war brought an in crease in business. Machine & Sup ply added new lines of goods and services. The company operates from its original site, on the causeway be tween Morehead City and Beau fort. There was one employee in addition to the two partners in the early year* of the company. Additions Built Three structures have been add ed since the original machine shop was built. The company now main tains an engine overhaul shop, a marine industrial electronics shop, and a warehouse. In 1948 the company was incor porated, and Mr. Slater was named president of the organization. Mr. Ipock is the general man ager. James B. Macy is vice-pres ident and sales manager, and John Harriss, service manager. The of fice manager's position is filled by Mn. Alma P. Howard and Mrs. Roy Clark is the bookkeeper. In all, Machine and Supply has 23 employees in addition to the two owners. Mr. Slater says his firm has the firfcst and most complete electron ics service and facilities in the state. The area covered reaches from Norfolk to Jacksonville, Fla. W. F. Adams is manager of the electronics and instrument division of the firm and other employees * include machinists, radio techni cians and salesmen. Herbert Bonner Head* House Group On U. S. Fisheries Congressman Herbert C. Bonner. Washington, N. C., heads the House committee on the Merchant Marine and fisheries. As representative of the first district. North Carolina, Congress man Bonner Is elected by voters in Beaufort, Camden, Chowan. Cur rituck, Dare, Hertford, Hyde. Mar tin, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell and Washington Counties. | Commenting on coastal resour |ces, Congressman Bonner said re cently, i "I am confident th?t more at tention must be giver to our salt water and fresh water fishing? as well as our shellfhO? for unless we do, we will eondnue to note a diminishing take, ffith the proper attention, supervision and regula tion we can restore our fisheries to their former state." Chairman Predicts Rise In Ffeh Consumption "fn the next five years, fish con sumption in the United States will increase IS per cent, largely be cause the fishing Industry is s?p P'ying the American howewtfr with high-quality foods, easy to pre pare and serve." Those are the words of Harry A- Trlmm Jr., chairman of riah We?lt which waa ob? uviiii r sail n w hivh ? ? served last wtek. Joining in pro rtfotton bf the week were members of U* fishing industry in Canada,
Carteret County News-Times (Morehead City, N.C.)
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Oct. 11, 1955, edition 1
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