You Had Better Like Fish on the Outer Banks, 1948

By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as published in the Charlotte Observer, Sept. 20, 1948

NAGS HEAD, N.C.—As elsewhere over the nation, visitors and natives of the Outer Banks of North Carolina are food conscious. Meat comes to this particular part of the banks on Thursdays and Saturdays, and there is never enough to go around. The early buyers are the only satisfied ones.

We at Nags Head go to Twifords at Kill Devil Hill for our meat or take the longer trip to Manteo, where the supply is divided between those of Roanoke Island and those of the Banks. Bacon is nonexistent. Fat back can be bought occasionally and the thrifty housewife saves the grease for frying fish.

There are plenty of fish and this is a blessing. The sound has been filled all year and some of the commercial fishermen say that they are satisfied with their catches. I saw one boatload come into Wanchese the other morning loaded to capacity with choice mackerel, croakers, spots, and smaller kinds.

The croakers have attained unusual size this year and have been responsible for some of these $4,000 catches recently reported.

The sport fishing has not fared so well in this particular area. There were drum and blue fish in Oregon Inlet early in the season, but only the most optimistic visitor makes the trip at this season. Wanchese fishermen discourage trips down there, but if the gullible uplander insists on going, they will take his $25 and do the best they can for him.

Most of the fish are being caught in the sounds that surround Roanoke Island. Captain Rogers, who maintained the fishing equipment center at the big bridge between Nags Head and Manteo for so many years has retired to a well-earned rest.

The new man is doing very well but he is not a friend to the visitor as was the fine Captain. Old timers who have come to Nags Head for years miss the yarns that Captain Rogers would tell and the unfailing courtesy with which he supplied every fishing need. Naturally, he made it pay him well, but this new fellow makes it pay without the charm of his predecessor.

There have been changes in the county agent personnel of Dare County. Miss Sadie Hedly, who for so long was home agent, is now at Murphy in the western part of the state—about as far away as she can get ad still be in North Carolina. Bill Shearin, likeable farm agent, has retired to his own farm in New Hanover County and has been succeeded by R.S. Smith of Warren County. Mr. Smith has not been here long enough to absorb the charm of sand and sea, but he feels that there is a nice future for this county if the folks would take an interest in the corps which are so evidently adapted here.

First Mr. Smith plans to work with the young people through the 4-H Clubs, teaching the elementary principles of gardening, small fruits and poultry growing. “Roanoke Island is a natural for small fruits,” he said.  “I am asking everyone, not now doing so, to grow figs and to plant some strawberries. Over on the mainland, blueberries seem well-suited and they pay handsome returns All along the banks, poultry and turkey growing is well adapted. Some are making money now from their small flocks and with the re-opening of the Pageant next summer, there will be a good market for all the small fruits, vegetables, poultry, eggs, and other food that can be produced.

In fact, such a market exists at the present time. Muc of the food except fish, consumed here is brought in trucks from the Elizabeth City or Norfolk markets. We hope to make the island and the banks more self-sustaining in the future.”

Mr. Smith says this means working through the young people almost entirely, because the old folks still look to the sea for both food and income.

Dare has been fortunate that when the Pageant was closed because of war emergencies, the Navy made a base for its coastal fliers over on the Croatan side of the island, opposite Port Raleigh. Not only did the construction of this base offer jobs for many Dare folks, but those who operate the base found rooms in the homes of hospitable citizens and aided in the family income.

The shortage of meat, brought fish to the fore as a food, and profitable catches have been sold as fast as they could be taken from the nets. On the whole, therefore, Dare hs not suffered too much in income loss, except from the two storms and the fire which wiped out the Manteo water front two years ago.  This has been rebuilt now with modern brick structure, and Manteo is rapidly becoming a modern county seat town.

Dare has suffered this summer along with the remainder of the state from excessive rainfall. The gardens have been almost ruined, especially where drainage is not good. And there have been more mosquitoes. Dare people look forward to the time when the new wonder insecticide DDT becomes available because, as they say, if the swamps of the county could be freed of the mosquito pest, this would be a veritable paradise.

Indications are also that Dare will join a Soil Conservation District to drain some of this land thus making more of it available for gardens and small farms. Most of the landowners, however, are dubious babout draining any of the mainline swamps because they say that these swamps are 50 to 70 percent organic material, which if dried out by drainage, might be subject to fire. Such fires would smolder for years, consuming the rich vegetable matter and ruining the areas for any use whatsoever. It is a fact that thinking people here are concerned as to the future trend for this section.

It will always be a scenic vacation spot. The big question now is to make it self-sustaining. This can be done by intelligent planning.