Perfect weather creates a perfect Outer Banks Seafood Festival. It’s a simple equation proven today with sunshine, a nice breeze and moderate temperatures.
There hasn’t been an official count yet on how many people were there, but there were a lot. Talking to vendors the feeling was somewhere around 7000-8000. That estimate was based on wine and beer consumption.
The Outer Banks Seafood Fest is really all about telling the story of the Outer Banks and the generations of families that have earned a living from the sea.
One great improvement this year—festival goers could pay for their food with cash or credit cards. In the past they had to buy tickets and redeem the tickets. It was confusing, inefficient and didn’t work well for anyone. The lines for food were noticeably faster this year.
The day is an amazing celebration, with great food from some of the finest Outer Banks chefs, wine beer, games for kids, great music. But it’s a little bit bittersweet, too.
Going out to the, or casting a net in the sound to earn a living is becoming more and more difficult. And commercial fisherman are aging out—and for the first time in generations, their children are not following in their footsteps.
What is perhaps as sad as anything else about the loss of the younger generation of fishermen is that many of them would continue the tradition if they felt they could earn a living at it.
Fishermen—and women—have an underserved reputation in some circles being anti-regulation. That is not the case; in fact, most commercial fishermen agree that regulations and conservation of the environment are the keys to continuing to have adequate stocks of fish to harvest.
However, a constantly changing regulatory environment that is the bane of their existence. Changes in regulation create change in equipment and it drives the cost of doing business and many of the younger generation simply don’t see how they can be successful at it.
North Carolina seafood is still the best around, and that will be the case for years to come. Here’s hoping common sense will reappear for the fishermen.
We’re haven a great fall on the Outer Banks. Come for a visit and plan you stay in a Brindley Beach Vacations home.