Sounds that remember

BEAUFORT — As the Menhaden Chanteymen performed before a recent hometown crowd, they leaned down in unison and pulled at a fictitious net, a symbolic tribute to the unique fishery that once thrived in the Beaufort area.

The voices of the Chanteymen keep alive the work songs that boat crews bellowed in rhythm with the physical labor of their duties.

But the menhaden boats that were once the stage for the chanteys are no longer a common sight in Carteret County. Beaufort Fisheries, the state’s last fish factory, closed five years ago.

Another set of voices is now being called on to preserve the story of menhaden fishing.

Oral histories from those who have worked in the menhaden industry are being collected as part of a project to document the stories, songs and traditions of the menhaden industry in North Carolina.

A special program held as part of the Beaufort’s 300th anniversary celebration helped to kick off the documentary project.

“We’re calling it ‘Raising the Story,’ because menhaden fishing has always been a group effort to raise the fish,” said Barbara Garrity-Blake, who is working with a group of industry members to lead the project.

Garrity-Blake moderated the program that brought together a panel of boat captains, crew, a seine mender and spotter pilot to share their menhaden memories.

The small, bony fish is processed into fish oil and fishmeal, and for years it pumped money into the economy.

Garrity-Blake called Beaufort the one-time heart of the industry, with more than a dozen companies operating out of the town during the 20th century and the area building a reputation for top-notch captains and crew.

Beaufort was the menhaden capital of the world; and Lionel Gilgo, who was a boat captain for 12 years, said that shouldn’t be forgotten.

“Beaufort was built on the menhaden industry; it was named Fish Town,” he said.

The migration patterns of the fish put Beaufort in just the right place for a lucrative fall fishery that would bring in boats from Virginia and elsewhere.

And that meant business for the stores and shops that supplied the boats and stocked the toys and gifts that were often picked up by crews in the weeks before Christmas.

Jimmy Range, who worked at the former Potter’s Grocery on Front Street, remembers those days well.

“These menhaden boats had to have groceries,” Range recalled. “We worked all Saturday night to stock these boats for another week.”

That heyday is gone, but the camaraderie of the industry members and the pride they have in the work still shows.

Spotter pilot William Davis logged 35,000 hours over the 31 years he led boats to menhaden from his perch in the sky.

There was danger that came in their efforts to bring in a full load of fish, but it was also an adventure with one of the most beautiful backdrops there is.

“It was a job where you weren’t in the same place all the time; you moved from place to place,” Davis said. “And I think we have the most beautiful coastline in the United States.”

Garrity-Blake said she and a group of industry members had been discussing concerns following the closing of Beaufort Fisheries, which has since been torn down, and saw a need to record the history before it was lost.

“We’re just concerned the history is going by the wayside,” she said.

In partnership with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, the group applied for and received a documentary grant from the N.C. Humanities Council.

A photo exhibit and several public programs are being planned as part of the project.

Contact Jannette Pippin at 910-382-2557 or jpippin@freedomenc.com.