As commercial fishing boats processed past crowds gathered for the annual Blessing of the Fleet at Radio Island, North Carolina, on Sunday, fishermen made their feelings clear about recent state legislation efforts to ban shrimp trawling. Nearly 30 vessels hoisted signs reading: “NC SEAFOOD FOR ALL. NO TRAWL BAN.”
The push to ban shrimp trawling came unexpectedly earlier this year. In June, the proposed legislation ultimately failed, thanks to what Carolina Coast Online describes as “massive protests by area commercial fishermen, their families and other supporters.” The protest reflects a united front from the state’s fishing families following the failed legislation.
According to an article from National Fisherman from June 25, House Bill 442, originally drafted in the lower House of the legislature to set fishing seasons for southern flounder and red snapper, was amended June 18 and passed by the state Senate to include the trawl prohibition. That ignited intense protests from shrimp fishermen and supporters, who suspected the Coastal Conservation Association of using the amendment as a vehicle.
“This past June served as a wake-up call to all of us,” said guest speaker Rev. Bill Hooper, a commercial fisherman from Mill Creek and retired pastor wrote Carolina Coast. “The last thing we need and want is for lawmakers in Raleigh to have the power to govern our industry. I hope that ‘Shrimpgate’ has awakened a sleeping giant within the fishing community. We don’t have time to fight with others. Gill-netters, crabbers, and shrimpers must continue to stand together like we did this summer.”
Hooper spoke to nearly 200 attendees and reminded the crowd that Jesus chose fishermen as some of his earliest disciples, urging those present to keep faith as their foundation. “So many will not give up and keep on fighting,” he said. “We have God on our side.”
North Carolina Fisheries Association chairman Brent Fulcher echoes the call for unity, saying, “Fishing families are the backbone of our community,” he said. “We’ve never been as united as we are now.”
Carolina Coast also shared that Rev. Ted Smith of Davis First Baptist Church said, “As long as I can remember, there have been efforts to shut down the commercial fishing industry. I was really surprised when we first found out about the legislation. They didn’t count on the fight of commercial fishing families. They fought hard to keep commercial fishermen down, but they won’t win.”
The ceremony followed traditional elements of the Blessing of the Fleet. For many fishing families, the yearly tradition has become a personal one, and this year’s event, set against the backdrop of legislative battles within the community, showcased both the challenges and resilience of fishermen.
