Island out of time
Tangier, Va., watermen share a storied past and an uncertain future
By Kathy Bergren Smith
Most of the 550 people who live on Virginia's Tangier Island share one of a few last names and have family roots stretching back at least a century. Their thick brogue is commonly called Elizabethan, but it is more likely a remnant of the Cornish roots of the island's settlers.
Fifteen miles from the mainland, Tangier spr eads across a cluster of marshy islands close to the center of the Chesapeake Bay. Its nearest neighbors are the Smith Islanders, just to the north over the Maryland border.
Tangier truly is a place out of time. Spanky's bills itself as a "state of the art" 1950's ice cream parlor. No alcohol is sold on the island. On Sunday, the town's two churches are filled and services last most of the day. Tangier's economy has been based upon the seafood industry since the days of the pungy schooner, when Tangiermen, as they are known, sailed cargoes of oysters across the bay and up the Potomac to the docks of Washington, D.C., during brutal winter weather.
The islanders' vast knowledge of the Chesapeake and dogged work ethic long ago earned them a reputation as some of the best watermen on the bay. There is no other industry on Tangier, and as sweeping new regulations aimed at protecting the imperiled blue crab take effect, more islanders are contemplating jobs away from home. Those who remain are wondering if they can protect their livelihood and their centuries-old way of life.
"Tangier is facing a challenging time right now," says James "Ooker" Eskridge, a full-time waterman who is also mayor of Tangier.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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