The Wilmington morning star., 1946-07-14

flshlng industry now thriving OF
boats are equipped with crows
the school of fish by the darken,
of the water.
les, of course. Catches of Is, 900
pounds have been reported. which
at IL cents per pound : The whole
sale price last year is MOI a bad
days work for ten or fifteen men.
On some days a school may not be
sighted. On others, two or more
may be encountered.
Channels Improved
There are many small channels
in Pamlico Sound and inlets on the
outer banks to the Ocean which aid
in this growing industry. Many
have ben improved by the Federal
Government through the Army En-
glneers during recent years and
this has rendered navigation for
the fishermen safer and has short
ened the time to make trips to the
home ports. In many cases water
through these inlets was MOI suffi-
Gent for loaded craft to enter the
Sound at low tide. The result was
that many of them we're caught
outside and exposed to rough
weather. With improved inlets they
were enabled to enter at ali stages.
More salt water was also permitted
to enter the Sound, which is con-
sidered invaluable by fishermen in
stimulating increase in the growth
of sea food.
Some Of the channels dredged by
the Army Engineers are:
Robinson Channel in Pamlico
Sound to the Town of Hatteras.
Channel connecting Thoro<h-
fare Bay with Cedar Bay on the
north side of Coro Sound.
Drum Inlet: an opening through
the barrier beach about 35 miles
northeast OF Beaufort and opposite
the village Of Atlantic.
Silver Lake Harbor at the west
erly end OF Ocracoke Island which
is a portion of the barrier beach
between Pamlico Sound and the
ocean.
Channel from Back Sound to
Lookout Blight, extending from a
point near the eastern end of Hark-
ers Island, about 8 miles east of
Beaufort through the shallow wa
tiers of Back Sound and Lighthouse
Bay to and through Shackleford
Banks and into the Ocean at Look
out Blight.
Waterway connecting Pamlico
Sound and Beaufort Harbor.
Channel from Manteo Bay to
Oregon Inlet.
The largest inlet on the North
! Carolina coast is Beaufort Inlet,
where Army Engineers have pro-
vided a 3O-foct channel at mean
low water to Morehead City.
Other contemplated channels to
be improved which have already
been approved by Congress are:
Channel from Pamlico Sound to
Avon.
Channel from Pamlico Sound to
RoGanthe.
Channel from Pamlico Sound to
Hatteras.
Commercial Seaweed
In addition to fish of all kinds.
there were handled last year $50
tons Of seaweed. which affords az
additional source Of revenue for the
fishermen. This is converted into
agar. A modern plant has recent
" been constructed near Beaufort
for this purpose. Their operations
have been local so far but plans
are being made FOR large boats to
buy throughout eastern North Caro-
lima and transfer the weed to the
Beaufort plant. Plans r also be-
ing made to buy this weed as far
south as Florida and move it by
rail to the Beaufort plant.
Fishermen throughout the State
want deeper and wider inlets from
Pamlico Sound to the Ocean on the
theory that the larger inlets will
permit more fish to enter Pamlico
Sound to spawn, and also to in
crease the sa1inity of the water
which they Cam is a very impor-
tant factor in the large production
of sea food, particularly clans,
oysters, crabs, and shrimp. 1t
would also permit many fishing
boats operating along the coast to
enter the Sound and proceed to a
North Carolina fishing port rather
than make the longer trip to Nor
folk or other northern port.
In Dare county fishermen main
tain that in recent years marine
life in the sound has diminished
considerably and they attribute it
to the shoaling that has occurred at
Oregon Inlet rendering it too sEnl-
low for fish or boats.
How A Storm Helped
For many years clans were un-
known in Core sound until the
storm of September 1888 opened
the inlet. Now 80 per cent of the
North Carolina clans are caught
in this Sound. This is attributed to
the fact that the salt sea water en-
tered III, Co,,pl =.