Commerce 

 ishing • 



By P a m Smith 



e've survived red tide and a 

 whole lot worse," says Dave Beresoff, who has 

 been fishing for a living in the state's southern 

 coastal waters since the 1980s. 



As Beresoff dresses a fat catfish he pulled 

 from the Lower Cape Fear River, he exchanges 

 good-natured banter with a customer. 



His wife Lisa retrieves a container of 

 fresh-picked crabmeat from the walk-in cooler 

 of their Sunset Harbor Seafood Market to 

 complete the order. 



The Beresoffs opened the small 

 Brunswick County market in 2002 and already 

 are talking expansion. 



"We just closed on a piece of property 

 down the road. We want to separate the retail 

 and the wholesale spaces. Word-of-mouth 

 has helped both sides of the business grow," 

 explains Lisa Beresoff, who manages the shop 

 and the finances while her husband supplies the 

 fresh seafood products. 



Their seafood market provides a market 

 for Dave — and other small commercial 

 fishing outfits facing low prices and few fish 

 dealers in the region. But, it's more than an 

 entrepreneurial endeavor. It's a survival tactic. 



The Beresoffs are among a growing 

 number of fishing families exploring ways to 

 stay afloat amidst winds of change blowing 

 through the state's fishing communities. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



