Newspapers / Carteret County News-Times (Morehead … / Oct. 11, 1955, edition 1 / Page 1
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CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES 44th YEAR, NO. 81. SEVENTY-TWO PAGES MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1965 PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND FRIDAYS NEWS-TIMES OFFICE S04 Arendell St. Mor*he?d City Phone 6-4175 lit* UjHtfdem <4 tmamn. U Ui* unto a ?W, utai colt into tit* ima, (Mid o? ffrtly ..tLaifl* litftmtt it IaaIM OJIM4AA Ztk <ui/f M'fli l^W?, It P ? ?? IMV^ WW*'1 w l v unu (fomti <%(%{& tJt% 4 ft to O0dds/d^, ut c?Ut U%? bad away. So it iimll Im at tim ?td o{ tU tuvUd. MatUuuu 14; 47-49 Shrimp Booms into Most Valuable Fishery By WILLIAM A. ELLISON JR. The shrimping industry is of major importance in this state. In 1953 over 14'^ million pounds were landed for which the fishermen received more than three and a half million dollars. This amount was over half the total paid fishermen for all edible products. The catch in 1953 exceeded the previous high (1945) by roughly four million pounds. The total catch in 1945 was valued at less than a million dollars. Shrimp is the most bountiful edible sea crop in the southern United States and catches in quantity are landed from North Carolina to Mexico. While shrimp appear north of the Carolinas, there is no com mercial fishery for them of any consequence. From very small be ginnings this industry has become a major factor in the economy of the southern seaboard. Even in the late twenties, less than thirty years ago. there was nothing to forecast its present widespread development or the important place which shrimp has taken in the American diet. It is one of the phenomenal de velopments of the fishing industry; and only ocean perch fillets, a development of the thirties and fish sticks, n6w less than four years old, offer any parallel to such universal acceptance. In the late twenties the total value of the shrimp crop for the nation was only about four and one-half million dollars. Th1 production was centered aroun4 the Gulf states. North Car olina'.' production was about one million pounds andHhe price to the fisherman about 3 cents per pound (this summer the price to the fisheraan at one time was 17 cents). Outside tie Beaufort-Morehcad > and Southpof areas, shrimp were l not considcril an edible com modity and thi large majority of r North Carolinian had never heard of one. or if they had. they looked upon them as goo4 bait for book and line fishing. Big Business In 1952, the last year for pub lished fisheries statistics, the Uni ? ted States landings were 224 mil lion pounds valued at 55 million ?dollars The demand for shrimp aeems lo have no end, for even . this enormous amount is not % ^Jough to satisfy the American slrimp eating public itn over 38 million pounds ?"?e imported, moat of which turn from Mexico. U is estimated Wat citizens of the United Stales >, coaaumed well over 280 million | PMpds In 1902. M These shrimp are marketed fresh, frozen, breaded and canned. The consumer pack has had wide acceptance, and with new methods of preparation, new merchandis ing techniques, a more standard ized product and improved quality controls, shrimp are likely to main tain their position as one of the most esteemed food commodities. In marketing methods North lags behind. Virtually all of our shrimp is shipped out fresh, but times are changing. Whereas the state had the principal markets of the nation as outlets a few years ago, only one important market is open today for any large quan tity of fresh shrimp. North Carolina's producers and dealers are square up against the fact that they may have to freeze at home or suffer a severe set back in the years to come? freeze at home and perhaps manufacture consumer packaged products. It seems that the writing is on the wall for him who will read. As in the United States at large the industry in North Carolina was of somewhat slow growth. It actually amounted to little, and was mostly of local significance until the thirties when the abun dance of shrimp in the sounds was discovered. Prior to that time it had been largely an ocean fishery, and there were not many boats which could dependably operate in the open sea. With the increasing popular ity of ahrimp. however, and the opening of the sounds to shrimp ing. there has been a steady and well-defined development of the fishery into a large industry; and today it forms the backbone of the fisheries of the Pamlico Sound and the Southport areas. Rooms Other Business It has encouraged the construc tion of larger and heavier vessels ; which are now practically depen dent upon the fishery. It has in creased shore employment tremea | dously. and any threat to the shrimping industry would strike at the very vitals of the fishing business of the state. While there are no data to af ford proof, it is conservative to say that over half the fishermen who seek an edible product de rive the principal share of their annual income from shrimping op erations which they engage in be tween June 1 and Oct. 1. It is important to them that the fish dealers improve their opera tions to gain more efficiency and to keep a weather eye peeled for merchandising changes which might adversely affect them. There are some who fear that the intensive fishery for shrimp will finally exterminate this val uable asset. There are no facts to give foundation to this alarm, for shrimp is an annual crop, and those taken in our sounds are less than one year old. The seed for this harvest were sowed in the open ocean months before. The stock which is fished is not permanently in residence in the sounds but is transitory and actual ly spends only a few months in the inland waters; and most of these months are spent up the brackish rivers and creeks where there is no fishery. A brief comment of the life cycle of the shrimp is necessary for a better understanding of the See SHRIMP. Page 4, Section 1 State s Fish Catch Totals Now Published Each Month Another progressive step was made in the North Carolina fish ing industry this summer when the first bulletin was published giving figures on the catches landed at state fishing ports. The statistics arc published by the Fish and Wildlife Service and are gathered by FfcWL personnel in cooperation with the State De partment of Conservation and De velopment and fish dealers. Charles Stewart, fishery market ing specialist, whose headquarters are the Fish and Wildlife lab, Beaufort, said that cooperation in reporting the landings has been fine. "It couldn't be better," he com- ! mcntcd enthusiastically. "During the past week when many of the fish houses were wrecked or par tially so (because of hurricanes) men would stand in the midst of the wreckage and willingly give me the information." When the program was started earlier this year it was feared that dealers would be reluctant to fur nish the government with catch statistics. Good Percentage But such has not been the case. Mr. Stewart estimates that his re ports record 95 per cent of the total fish production for June, July and August. In February, before the program was started, approximately 100 fishermen attended a meeting at the commercial fisheries building in Morchead City. It was explained then that with out statistics no logical recommen dations can be made on conserva tion measures, fishermen cannot be given the opportunity ? through intelligent laws ? to increase their catches, and there is no way to sup ply buyers with information on the See BULLETINS, Page 6, Section 1 Sunday at Southport Photo by itrtc Bui-mu The shrimp fleet, with trawli "at caw," Um at Mi In le?k?>rt. An October Dawn Early one morning. Jerry Schu macher, NEWS-TIMES photogra pher went across Bogue Sound from Morehead City to Bogue Banks where a beach crew had set its net. As the night-time mists started to rise, and the sun sought an opening in the October sky, Mr. Schumacher took the above pic ture. This unique method of tak ing fish comes into fashion here in the fall when the north winds blow and fish hug the shore. The technique, centuries old, was well known on the Sea of Galilee. Hurricanes Cut Oyster Yield Present estimates indicate that North Carolina's oyster crop this year will be down about a third as a result of Hurricanes Connie, Diane and lone. Dr. A. F. Chestnut, shellfish specialist, Institute of Fisheries Research, says, "In some places the beds look bad. in others they're all right." Last year's production was cut by Hazel and as a result of the past month's storm damage, the state's oyster crop doesn't look very promising for the next' few years. I Oyst?rs in inland rivers were killed bv the deluge of fresh water and those near shoals were silted over and huried in mud. Damage to the oyster beds in Newport River alone is estimated at $30,000. About 30 persons de pended on about a thousand dollars a year income from oyster beds in the river. Considering that it will be two or three years before those beds are back In production, the loss exceeds $30,000. In the Neuse River all the oysters were killed on the lumps around Oriental. It had been hoped that those bods would escape damage and help bolster th6 state's pro duction. Dr. Chestnut estimates that 63 to 75 per cent of the oysters in exposed areas are damaged and 14 to 20 per cent in the covet and protected areas are damaged. The oysters which survived the storms look good, he added. The oyster season opened Oct. 1 and a few boats have been working in Hyde County. Men Earn Living By Bringing Ashore Sea-Grown' Crops It's a fraternity ? and all you have to do to belong to it is fish for a living. Trout, spo* mullet, menhaden, flounder, shad, striped bass, croaker, herring, oysters, shrimp, spanish mackerel, crabs, scallops, turtles ? take your pick. All these and more swim in North Carolina waters, but catching th?m is the problem. More is needed to be a successful fisherman than own ing a boat and a net. Fishermen of the sound and inlet studied North Carolina coast must know how to trans late the whispers or howls of the wind, read legends on the surface of the water and they must have a sincere and abiding faith. Faith, above all, is necessary, for fishing is not a sure and secure business. In the lean seasons, only faith (and credit at the grocer's) keeps the fisherman going. A close bond with nature and the Lord is his ?? for crops of fish cannot be regulated in Washington and the safety of the fisherman often rests in the hands of the Almighty. 8,000 Employed In spite of the risk involved, almost eight thousand persons along the coast are directly engaged in or affili ated with the fishing industry. The amount of money paid out annually to the fisher men as they land their catches at the docks approaches eight million dollars. The latest published figures place North Carolina's total pounds landed in one year at 240,192,000. That includes menhaden, shellfish and finfish. About 3 1 Vt million pounds were edible fish, such as flounder and trout. The highest priced fish of that type, caught in large quantities in Tar Heel waters are shad, striped bass, spotted trout, flounder and spanish mackerel. The low est-priced is the herring which constitutes 28 per cent of the total edible fish taken. Menhaden ? Biggest in PouncU In total pounds landed, the menhaden outranks all other kinds of fish, but the value is less. For example, fisheries statistics for 1952 (latest published by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service) show an annual menhaden catch of 191 million pounds for which fisher men received $1,627,000. The shrimp catch, close to nine million pounds in the same year, brought the fishermen almost two million, considerably more than the menhaden fishermen re ceived for their fabulous catch. The crab and shripip catches, according to 1953 data yet to be published, show a sizeable increase while North Carolina's oyster and scallop fisheries dropped slightly. Shellfish Value High Total shellfish catch in the state exceeds 18 million pounds annually. The shellfish (shrimp, oysters, clams, crabs, scallops, turtles) comprise about 36 per cent of the catch, but account for 45 per cent of the dollar value. The shellfish catches bring to Tar Heel fishermen well over three million dollars annually, almost equal in value to edible finfish. The edible seafood products landed mean more than six and a half million dollars to North Carolina fisher men each year, with the menhaden making up the bal ance of the total incume. Slightly more than a thousand men are regularly em ployed in menhaden fishing and well over 5,000 are reg ularly employed on boat* or ashore in fishing opera tions. An additional 2,000 earn less than 50 per cent of their livelihood through fishing. It's a wonderful fraternity to belong to ? but most people have to be born in it. Other pages which follow this will give you a glimpse of the fishing industry and the men who supply the market with luscious seafood from North Carolina waters. C&GS Invests $140,000 In Wreck Survey of Coast The Coast and Geodetic Survey has invested (140.000 in survey ing wrecks along the North Caro lina coast. This seven month pro ject will end Oct. 20 as the three survey vessels complete work in the Cape Fear area. They started there Thursday. Completed last week was the sur vey of the Halteras to Swansboro coastal area. The project, which began April 18. involves checking on wrecks known to be in North Carolina waters and determining the depth of water over them. Water depth leu than 40 feet over any wreck is reported and the CfcGS relays the information to the Coast Guard. The Coaat Guard then places markers or buoys at the wreck. The wrecks are also indicated on charta and the number of feet of water clear ance marked. Shoran Used While the survey party was working the area from Hatteras to 8wanaboro. their shoran towers were located at Lennoxville Point near Beaufort, and at Broad Creek. In the Cape Fear area their ahor an stations will be set up at Surf City and Oak Island Shoran enables the ships to de tarmiaa their location with no more margin of error than 50 feet. Under ideal conditions, the loca tion is exact within 5 to 10 feet. The current project constitutes the first time that a wreck sur vey has been made of the North Carolina coast other than two vessels doing some inshore work in 1948. Several small wrecks at Hat ,teras, which were not indicated on charts, were discovered by the survey parly. These will be plotted on the new charts. The charts, of course, will be available, after published, at any place where nautical charts are sold. Cmdr. John C. Mathiaon is In charge of (he work. The party has been held up considerably by hur ricanes during the past two months. During the blows the three vessels had to stay at their permanent base at Morehead City and during one storm took refuge in an inland creek. laferaatieB Welcome Commander Mathiaon la very in terested In receiving from fisher men and other navigator* in state waters reports of wrecks. "We run down any and all leads." be com mented. Fishermen can retort wrecks which they consider a me ? tUBVKY, Page J, lediw ft i
Carteret County News-Times (Morehead City, N.C.)
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Oct. 11, 1955, edition 1
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