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Core Sound fishing industry is in dire trouble
By SUSAN WEST The study found that since 1997, the value of fish and shellfish landed by Core Sound fishermen has declined by 50 percent, from $6 million to $3 million. The number of fishermen in the fishery fell by 43 percent, from 943 to 538. “The coming years will tell whether the worst of the commercial fishing industry’s losses in the Core Sound have passed or are still to come,” wrote Scott Crosson, socioeconomic program manager at the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and author of the report. The report is the most recent in a series of surveys conducted by DMF. “A Social and Economic Analysis of Commercial Fisheries in North Carolina: Core Sound” was based on telephone interviews with 132 fishermen and fish dealers and 33 retired fishermen, as well as information collected in DMF trip ticket reports. Most Core Sound fishermen target flounder, shrimp, crabs, clams, and oysters. Landings fell from more than 7 million pounds in 1997 to 2.6 million in 2006. The value of the fishery has declined in response to decreased landings, but low shrimp prices have also been a factor. Thirty-nine percent of the fishermen in the survey area trawl for shrimp. As the volume of shrimp imports has skyrocketed, domestic shrimpers haven’t been able to effectively compete with the cheaper, often farm-raised shrimp from other countries. Ninety percent of all shrimp consumed in the U.S. now comes from other countries. The price paid to shrimpers in Core Sound fell from $2.26 per pound in 1997 to $1.15 in 2006. Twenty-three percent of the fishermen reported that they were either just breaking even or were losing money fishing. Only six percent earned more than $30,000 from fishing in 2006. While many fishermen had other sources of income, including pensions and other types of work, two-thirds of those interviewed considered themselves full-time fishermen. Only 27 percent fished year-round. Fishermen rated high fuel prices, low seafood prices, imports, and coastal development as the most pressing concerns for the Core Sound fishery. The survey found that only 42 percent of the fishermen believed they would be fishing 10 years from now. As recently as 2002, 68 percent expressed confidence in their future as fishermen. “The economic trends impacting (Core Sound fishermen) defy simple solutions – there is no government agency that can readily reverse the price trends of higher fuel costs and declining seafood values, nor arrest the growing value of real estate in the coastal market,” concluded the report. 
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