Wanchese is a fishing village that has withstood the test of time. In Susan West’s article ,”The Will of Wanchese”, in The Working Waterfront (published by The Island Institute), she introduces us to the men who’ve been fishing local waters for generations.
“Willie R. Etheridge opened the first fish house in Wanchese in 1936. Etheridge’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren run two packing and processing plants, Etheridge Seafood Company and Wanchese Fish Company, in the village today.
Wanchese ranks 27th in commercial seafood landings at U.S. ports. In 2010, the port landed 25.6 million pounds of fish and shellfish, valued at $22 million.
Billy Carl says economic gales and regulatory storms have battered the village’s industry, but that the readiness of Wanchese fishermen to turn to new fisheries and new gear buffers the bruises.”
[box type=”bio”] Read the rest of Susan’s story on The Working Waterfront. [/box]