Commercial Fishing On The Outer Banks

Fishing on the Outer Banks for subsistence began over 1,000 years ago with the Algonquin Indians, who made their summer camps on the islands. They came for the seafood and learned how to fish for various species during each season. Some of their fishing methods are still used by local watermen. The early settlers to the area were also fishers for sustenance. It was not until the Civil War, however, when they became commercial fishermen. Historic shad runs combined with the building of infrastructure such as an ice plant, roads, and bridges finally made possible the exportation of their catches to northern markets. In the 1950s, tourists started trickling in, and restaurants began dotting the landscape, promoting the consumption of fresh seafood. Today, in an economy ruled by tourism, fishing for profit still plays a strong role. What began in the 1660s with a shipment of 80 barrels of whale oil has continued to the present with internationally coveted catches of bluefin tuna. Although the fishing industry is threatened today as never before, commercial fishermen will continue to develop new markets and fight for their livelihoods.

The Outer Banks, barrier islands off the coast of northeastern North Carolina, have long provided inhabitants with ready access to clean water and bountiful wild fisheries. In the 1930s, these locals recognized they could make a living full time by taking out paying parties of sport anglers. At this time, entrepreneurs built oceanfront piers to get these sport fishermen closer to migrating schools of fish. An act of Congress preserved the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which promoted the pastime of surf fishing. As the industry of charter fishing developed, captains working out of Hatteras and Oregon Inlet ventured farther into the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Gulf Stream, the home of the ultimate fishing trophy, the blue marlin. This book chronicles the history of sport fishing on the Outer Banks. Whether fishing is a livelihood or a pastime, fishermen and fisherwomen invest in more than just catching. They commune with a seascape that is both inspiring and potentially dangerous. And what locals and visitors alike have found on this sliver of sand is simple: paradise on earth.

Special edition of the Federal Register, containing a codification of documents of general applicability and future effect ... with ancillaries.