man is using," Harvey says. 



And even the same type of net will vary from 

 netmaker to netmaker. For example, the Par- 

 rishes' mongoose will be slightly different from 

 Harvey's. 



"Mine may be cut a little different," Harvey 

 says. "Or I may add a little extra to the wing or 

 the belly. 



"Netmaking is like sewing. If you change the 

 length of the sleeve, you change the look of a 

 shirt," he says. "If you change a net by one or 

 two meshes, you change the way everything 

 fits together and how the net catches." 



And nets aren't just tailored to differentiate 

 between species of fish and shellfish. Shrimp 

 nets can actually be cut and hung to distin- 

 guish between pink, white and brown shrimp. 



"Brown and pink shrimp are caught more 

 along the bottom," Steve says. "White shrimp 

 are caught in the water column. We design the 

 nets to take care of those differences." 



Besides species information, netmakers must 

 also know other basic facts before they design 

 a net. They need to ask about the size of the 

 boat, the horsepower of the engine, whether or 

 not the boat is equipped with a winch, where a 

 fisherman intends to fish and whether the 

 fisherman is a full-timer or part-timer. Each fac- 

 tor affects the design, Steve says. 



And nets vary from region to region in North 

 Carolina not only because of species dif- 

 ferences, but because of bottom conditions 

 and water clarity. As a result, a net that catches 

 well in Brunswick County waters may not catch 

 well at Sneads Ferry, Beaufort or Hatteras. 



With so much to consider, it takes a smart 

 netmaker to build today's more sophisticated 

 nets, Bahen says. Netmakers have to be willing 

 to experiment with net designs and materials. 



And like designs, net materials change. 

 Almost everything used to make today's net is 

 synthetic. 



Webbing is made of nylon, polyethylene or 

 polypropylene and imported from Taiwan, 

 Hong Kong or Korea. Sabrina says she must 

 order and pay for her webbing as much as a 



year in advance. And this can create problems 

 if special needs arise. 



For instance, last year a brown algae ap- 

 peared in Southeastern coastal waters that 

 clogged nylon shrimp nets. But the same trawls 

 made of polypropylene didn't snag the algae. 

 As fishermen learned about the change, de- 

 mand for the polypropylene exceeded supply. 



The Parrishes quickly sold out of the material 

 with no hope of getting new supplies from the 

 Far East. 



The roping used for towlines, leadlines and 

 floatlines is also synthetic and sometimes rein- 

 forced with steel. All corks or floats are 

 Styrofoam or plastic. 



All this synthetic material adds up to a more 

 durable net that requires less maintenance. 



Even the netmakers who hang gill nets or 

 small shrimp nets in the backyards of Harkers 

 Island and Hatteras use synthetic webbing. 

 The netmakers who comprise this small cot- 

 tage industry are usually women or retired part- 

 time fishermen. 



These folks hang small nets for relatives who 

 fish or for larger net shops. And often they do 

 repair work. 



They stretch the webbing between two trees, 

 stakes or sometimes the front porch posts to 

 sew on leads or floats or mend holes. Net- 

 makers hang these traditional nets just the way 

 their fathers and grandfathers did. 



And there will continue to be a need for this 

 cottage industry and its craftsmen as long as 

 fishermen continue to set gill nets or pound 

 nets. But for larger, more sophisticated nets, 

 commercial fishermen turn to full-time net- 

 makers such as Harvey or the Parrishes. 



When it comes time for a fisherman to 

 choose a netmaker, it's what is not said that 

 counts, netmakers say. 



"Fishermen don't brag on you," Steve says, 

 "because they don't want others to know their 

 secrets." 



continued next page 

 Dennis Harvey 



