Albemarle Sound, says there are some very successful crabbers in Alligator. 

 Stott/s project is funded by the Blue Crab Research Program administered 

 by North Carolina Sea Grant. 



"Some crabbers also set eel pots and even do some striped bass 

 net fishing," adds Stott. "Some of the Alligator watermen I know— like 

 Willy Phillips, and Purnell and David Gallup — are smart, hard-working 

 professionals. They are adaptive and innovative. I am deeply impressed by 

 their work ethic, their intelligence and their good humor and spirit." 



A few in the Alligator community work the water full-time. Others, 

 like Sykes, fish part-time. In front of his home, Sykes keeps some of his fish- 

 ing gear, including crab pots, eel and catfish pots. 



"I crab in the Alligator River," says Sykes, who also works in 

 construction. "The last two to three seasons, I have bought pots and put in 

 escape rings. I have 300 to 400 pots in the Alligator River." 



In his many years of fishing and hunting in the swamps, Sykes says 

 that he has never seen an alligator. However, others have spotted gators 



during the summer at East Lake, Whipping Creek and the canal at the Al- 

 ligator Marina near the Alligator River Bridge. 



"There is an alligator in Second Creek about two miles away from the 

 marina, and it is about 1 6 feet long," says Wanda Pritchett, co-owner of 

 the Alligator Marina. "The ones up on Millta.il Creek are not that big." 



COMMUNITY HISTORY 



With only a small concentration of American alligators in the 

 community, there are two theories of how the community got its name, 

 according to Morris Pritchett, co-owner of the Alligator Marina. 



"Some say it is because of the shape of the Alligator River," he says 

 while pointing to the river on a North Carolina map. "You see, the river turn 

 is the tail, and the feet and head are at the top." 



The second theory is that years ago there was a large concentration 

 of American gators near the swamps and marshes, adds Wanda Pritchett. 



Continued 



