"That would 

 affect my bank 

 account," he says. 

 "Be out of business 

 in one day." 



Wanchese 

 Harbor Hub 

 for Fishing 



For many years, 

 Wanchese harbor has 

 been the focal point 

 of activities for the 

 tiny village. The 

 harbor leads to some 

 of the richest fishing 

 spots anywhere in 

 the world. 



"Commercial 

 fishing was the main way people made a 

 living here when I was a boy," says Capt. 

 Will Etheridge Jr., a retired commercial 

 fisher. "The biggest money fish was shad." 



Until the 1930s, the only way to get to 

 the island was by boat, says Etheridge. 

 Around that time, N.C. 345 was built. The 

 highway, which runs off U.S. 64 in 

 Manteo, is still the only land access to the 

 village. 



As you turn off onto the highway, you 

 pass a long stretch of marshland. The first 

 sign of civilization is Mann's restaurant, 

 grocery and hardware stores — a meeting 

 place for local fishers and residents. 



On a recent day, many local fishers 

 gather to eat a hot plate of spaghetti and 

 swap stories. Even though the village is 

 synonymous with fishing, no seafood is 

 served here. Instead, customers are served 

 home-style meals and desserts in a small 

 room with a counter, tables, booths, blue 

 checkered curtains, a Harley bike sign and 

 bulletin board. 



"This is a local hangout," says Ervin 

 Johnson, who has lived in Wanchese for 

 more than 40 years. "I come here every day 

 when I'm not fishing." 



After leaving Mann's, you pass a 

 number of cottage-style homes, brick 

 homes and side streets named for local 

 families — from C.B. Daniels Jr. Road to 

 Ronald Tillett Road. 



Moon Tillett, who opened a seafood business in the 1 970s, 

 continues fighting for jetties at Oregon Inlet. 



"I can't see how you could do any 

 better for a rural village," says Etheridge. 

 "Funerals here are still like the old-time. If 

 a neighbor is in need, you help him. 

 Nobody suffers here." 



As you near a bend in the road, you 

 can turn left onto Harbor Drive to go to the 

 Seafood Park, or head straight and pass 

 several houses whose yards are cluttered 

 with crab pots. Farther down the road, a 

 cluster of seafood businesses overlook the 

 water. 



One of the oldest businesses is 

 Etheridge Seafood, a packing company 

 built upon a family fishing tradition. Capt. 

 Will's son, Will Etheridge III, now heads 

 the operations. 



"I have been in the business all my 

 life," says Will Etheridge III, a burly man 

 whose office is packed with big game and 

 fish mounts. "I started out helping my 

 Uncle Malcolm and grandfather pack fish." 



When Etheridge' s grandfather turned 

 over the business to his aunt's husband — 

 Uncle Malcolm Daniels — Etheridge' s 

 family got out of the packing business. 



In 1974, Will Etheridge III started his 

 own business when he returned from Navy 

 duty. Around that time, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant helped form a co-op for Outer Banks 

 fishers. 



Although the co-op folded, it had a 

 positive impact on fishing communities. 



"It brought 

 fishermen together 

 so they all knew 

 what each other 

 was doing and 

 boosted prices, 

 especially at the 

 Outer Banks 

 south," says Sea 

 Grant marine 

 extension 

 specialist Wayne 

 Wescott, who 

 managed the co- 

 op before joining 

 Sea Grant. 



In the 1970s, 

 Moon Tillettt 

 opened up a 

 seafood business on the Wanchese harbor 

 across the creek from Wanchese Fish Co. 

 Although Tillett is retired, his son and 

 grandson still operate Moon Tillett Fish 

 Co., which ships seafood all over the 

 country. 



"It is a good business," says Tillett. 

 "It helps feed a lot of people. I don't know 

 why people want to stop it." 



In recent years, the fishing industry 

 has undergone tremendous changes — 

 from new regulations to a decline in some 

 species. 



"We not only have to battle the wind 

 and weather, we have to battle environ- 

 mentalists trying to put us out of business," 

 says Will Etheridge III. "We have 

 recreational fishermen trying to put us out 

 of business. We can't win the battle 

 because the public is not aware of us." 



Tillett agrees. "So far I've not seen 

 anything environmentalists have done to 

 improve fishing," he says. 



With these changes, the younger 

 Etheridge doesn't see much future for the 

 next generation in the fishing business. 



"My son works here part-time," he 

 says. "The other part of the year, he works 

 as a commercial fisherman. I am not 

 encouraging my children or grandchildren 

 to go into the business. My advice is to 

 find a job with the government." □ 



26 HIGH SEASON 2001 



