In the Wake of Storms
The latest edition of North Carolina Sea Grant’s award-winning publication takes a behind-the-scenes look at the seafood processing industry. Susan West’s “In the Wake of Storms” explains how our state’s capacity for seafood processing has declined — but also how wholesalers and distributors have built a network that rapidly deploys initial aid to coastal communities after hurricanes.
North Carolina fish houses tend to be small, rural businesses nestled off the beaten path in the nooks and crannies of the state’s meandering shoreline. But even the most remote and isolated are connected by an impressive communications network that kicks in when hurricanes strike the coast. Word-of-mouth news travels fast on the seafood industry pipeline, and seafood wholesalers are often the conduits for getting resources to disaster areas quickly.
A Cedar Island fish house, for instance, served as the staging ground for local fishing boats hauling bottled water, cleaning supplies, and other donated goods from the Down East area of Carteret County to Ocracoke Island where homes and businesses were severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Watermen and other volunteers from Ocracoke and Hatteras — armed with everything from mops to chainsaws — had rushed to Carteret County communities hit hard by Hurricane Florence the previous year.
“If something affects any coastal community, it affects us,” reported a seafood distributor in Chowan County.
