LOADING CATCH 



During the afternoon, a few people gather around the docks at 

 Avon Seafood to watch Gaskins bring in his catch. 



As a seagull perches on a dock post, Gaskins — dressed in bright 



CLOCKWISE FROM TDP LEFT: During a Day at the Docks "porch talk," 

 commercial fishermen share fishing stories. • Ben Cochran gaffs a concrete 

 block, while Lee Cannady looks on, during the "concrete marlin" competition. 

 • Festival participants enjoy watching a crab race on the Hatteras docks. • 

 Sea Grant's jack Thigpen shows off a model boat. 



orange rubber overalls, a T-shirt and knee-high rubber boots — ties up 

 his boat that is packed with gill nets, gear and flounder. 



"It wasn't too bad," yells Gaskins to a man on the dock. "But we 

 had a bad thunderstorm. Will probably go back out today." 



While unloading two baskets of fish on the dock, he washes 

 off his arms and chats with another boater. 



As Gaskins steps onto the dock, Tony Burbank of Avon 

 Seafood brings out a white scale to weigh the catch. 



"I have been fishing out here for 40 years," says 

 Gaskins. "I started fishing with my dad when I was 6 or 7." 



Then with gloves on their hands, Gaskins and Burbank 

 put the flounder on the culling table and onto a conveyor belt. 



After the fish move down the belt, Burbank weighs each 

 piece of flounder. A man sorts the fish by size — jumbo and 

 medium — and places the flounder in boxes packed with 

 ice. 



Then the men sort and weigh the drum and bluefish. 

 Finally, they move all the boxes into a refrigerated area. 



"Our fish goes everywhere from the Fulton Fish Market 

 in New York to across the Pamlico Sound," says Burbank. 

 Gray hopes that commercial fishing in the area will 

 continue to have a strong presence in markets across the East Coast. 



Even though many traditions are disappearing along the 

 waterfront, the commercial fishing industry is still bringing in money, 

 says Gray. "We are a year-round industry. All the money from 

 commercial fishing stays here." □ 



DAY AT THE DOCKS FESTIVAL SEPT. IB 



Across North Carolina, coastal waterfronts are making front-page news. 



To honor the fishing heritage on Hatteras Island, community leaders 

 are holding a special festival with a variety of activities — from a fishing boat 

 parade to watermen demonstrating fish gear. 



This Second Annual Day at the Docks: A Celebration of Hatteras Island 

 Watermen is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept 16, on the 

 waterfront in the Hatteras community. 



"We hope to provide an opportunity for people to explore the world of 

 watermen," says Dorothy Dunn, president of the Hatteras-Ocracoke Auxiliary 

 of the North Carolina Fisheries Association. "Many visitors to our island are 

 unaware that we're a vibrant and colorful presence on the waterfront today." 



The festival will include several fun competitions: watermen measuring 

 their speed in donning survival suits, hanging nets, reeling in big fish and 

 rigging bait. The agenda also includes a Blessing of the Fleet, Hatteras Island 

 seafood dishes and a chowder cook-off, as well as porch talks and exhibits by 

 North Carolina Sea Grant and other organizations. 



"Day at the Docks helps people better understand where their 

 seafood comes from," says Sara Mirabilio, North Carolina Sea Grant fisheries 

 specialist. 



The festival began last fall to preserve the rich traditions of the island 

 — from pound netting for flounder in the Fcimlico Sound to charter fishing 

 on the Continental Shelf for marlin and other game fish. 



The celebration had its genesis in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel 

 in 2003 when a surge of ocean water crossed the island, according to the 

 2005 program guide. The storm also carved a breech, isolating the Hatteras 

 community from the rest of the island. 



"The first people who were able to get back to work were the 

 watermen," the guide says. "The charter group worked out an arrangement 

 to ferry their customers into and out of Hatteras Village for their trips." 



Wth the help of fish dealers who had gotten permission to cross the 

 Pamlico Sound on an emergency ferry, the commercial captains sold their 

 catches, the guide says. 



Because of the success of the first festival, organizers decided to make it 

 an annual event. 



"Maritime events like this generate income for local businesses," says 

 jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea Grant extension director. "However, the 

 long-term impacts for the community's economy and pride may be even 

 more valuable." 



For more information, visit the Web: www.dayatthedocks.org or call 

 Lynne Foster, 252/986-251 5. — AG. 



Coctstwatch I High Season 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 17 



