waters on the East Coast — is 

 unpredictable for navigational 

 conditions because of the 

 movement of sand in and 

 around it. 



Since 1962, the U.S. 

 Army Corps of Engineers has 

 been dredging the inlet, trying 

 to keep it passable. 



More than 30 years ago, 

 a proposal was made to 

 anchor the shifting inlet with 

 two massive stone jetties built 

 by the U.S. government. The 

 jetties would extend into the 

 ocean nearly two-thirds of a 

 mile. 



Authorized by Congress 

 in 1970 but never fully 

 funded, supporters say the 

 twin breakwaters would 

 stabilize the inlet and allow 

 for a deeper channel, which 

 would make passsage safer 

 for large commercial fishing 

 boats passing between the 

 inlet and Wanchese. 



"We are fighting hard for 

 Oregon Inlet," says Moon 

 Tillett, chairman of the Dare 

 County Oregon Inlet & 

 Waterways Commission and 

 a retired commercial fisher. 

 "It is one of the greatest 

 battles of the century. We 

 could have had the jetties 

 built for $11 million in 1970. 

 Now it will cost more than 

 $97 million to build." 



The commission's latest battle is 

 getting a land transfer from the U.S. Dept. 

 of Interior to the state of North Carolina for 

 106 acres to connect the jetties to the land. 

 "If the jetties and land aren't connected, the 

 jetties will wash around on the other side," 

 says Tillett. 



The jetties are opposed by numerous 

 groups — from geologists and biologists to 

 private citizens and environmentalists. 



"Oregon Inlet is an extremely high- 

 energy coastal system," says East Carolina 

 University geologist Stan Riggs. "You 



TOP: Davis Boatworks makes Carolina-style boats that shoulder rough seas 

 BOTTOM: A new Davis boat is ready for a sea trial. 



shouldn't tame an inlet when you can't 

 predict the consequences. The inlet is 

 poorly understood, but the dynamics are 

 crucial to beaches and estuaries. Whenever 

 other inlets have been jettied, it has made a 

 mess. It is short-sighted to stabilize Oregon 

 Inlet." 



The inlet's changing dynamics also 

 has affected family-owned seafood 

 businesses on the west side of Wanchese 

 Harbor. 



"Without the jetties, we still have to 

 depend on high water," says Joey Daniels, 

 president of Wanchese Fish Company, a 



major seafood packer on 

 the East Coast. "There is a 

 bad spot close to the bridge. 

 When the tide is coming in, 

 there is a chance of a boat 

 crashing into the bridge." 



In the winter of 1981, 

 a large trawler owned by a 

 Belhaven operator was lost 

 in Oregon Inlet. After this, 

 the Daniels family moved 

 some boats to Hampton, 

 Va., and also set up 

 operations there. Later, 

 some boats were sent back 

 to North Carolina — home 

 of the corporate headquarters. 



On a recent day, 

 Wanchese Fish Co.'s dock 

 is bustling with activity. As 

 several seagulls flutter over 

 Wanchese harbor, a white 

 trawler pulls in during a 

 drenching rainstorm with a 

 load of trout. The strong 

 odor of fresh fish permeates 

 the air. 



"It was a good catch," 

 says mate Chuck Seymour. 

 "We were out 24 hours and 

 did not get much rest." 



As Seymour rolls in a 

 gill net, a young woman in 

 a bright orange rain suit 

 throws a handful of blue 

 and gray trout to another 

 worker. 



The fish are then 

 weighed and boxed with ice. In another 

 corner of the dock, N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries biologists — who 

 periodically sample fish — are weighing 

 some catch. 



A few minutes later, a trawler with sea 

 bass pulls in. The fish are weighed, gutted 

 and packed in 3 1 cartons. 



"The catch was excellent," says 

 Captain Dave Watkin. "I have been 

 working out of Wanchese for 20 years." 



Like many fishers, Watkin won't 

 reveal his favorite fishing spots. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 25 



