Down East North Carolina

	"A Downeaster is best defined as one who prefers salt fish for breakfast, but mostly it is a state of mind, where the people like wooden boats and build them in back yards, beneath big live oak trees. Downeasters are the hardworking people who make up the backbone of the land, independent, strong, and proud, the salt of the earth…Downeast…where you watch the sun rise boldly from the sea, feel sand between your toes, and inhale the pungencies of fish and brine, of marsh and pine, you may, by watching closely, find a land of dreams that is no fantasy land, but DOWNEAST."
	Excerpt from "When the Water Smokes" by Bob Simpson

Click here to take a virtual tour of the Down East

Down East North Carolina historically refers to the group of communities east of Beaufort in Carteret County in the Coastal Plain region of the state. There are thirteen communities that make up the Down East – Atlantic, Bettie, Cedar Island, Davis, Gloucester, Harkers Island, Marshallberg, Otway, Sea Level, Smyrna, Stacy, Straits and Williston. These communities have a long history of maritime tradition and celebrate their heritage with the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, the wild horses of Shakelford Banks and Cape Lookout Lighthouse, a navigational aid to seafarers since 1859.  Economic opportunities still center around the water, though fishermen are increasingly selling their boats and leaving fishing to work on pipeline dredge boats, tugs and jobs off the water.

As a visitor, you would be welcomed into the Down East community. Be prepared to hear the High Tider accent, a dialect remnant of Elizabethan English that was once spoken in colonial Carolina and now mixes with a general southern accent. They’re likely to tell you about the current weather and how it has affected fishing, a good story from out on the boat, or chat with you about local politics.   

Fishermen Profiles

Eddie and Allsion

Eddie and Alison are co-owners of Core Sound Seafood and supply shares with flounder, soft shell crabs and occasionally other species. Though both from North Carolina, they grew up a world away, Alison in Raleigh and Eddie in Harkers Island, where his grandparents were well known boat builders. When Allison came down to the island on vacation years ago, she met Eddie, fell in love, and hasn’t left since.  They now own Mr. Big’s Seafood store together, selling seafood to their local restaurants and community.  Of his job Eddie says, “I’ve never worked a day in my life for someone else. This isn’t a job, it’s a privilege.”

They are famous for providing shares with delicious soft shell crabs, which they meticulously catch, cull and process. Eddie and Alison are one of a handful of fishermen Down East that cull their crabs, which means they separate the crabs depending on their color and what stage they are in when shedding. This produces a crab that sheds in a stress-free environment and will ultimately taste better.

They also clean, fillet and pack all of Core Sound’s seafood at their Harkers Island location. Stop by any time you are down on the coast and tell them you are a shareholder. They would love to put a face to your name, and if you are there at the right time, you may be able to observe their soft shell crab operation in full swing.
How does it work? Watch it here.

Danny Mason

Danny has lived in Atlantic for all his life, and primarily catches bluefish, grey trout and spots. He is one of the few fishermen left in the Down East community that practices long hauling, a fishing technique where two boats, each towing one end of a long net, coordinate their paths in order for their net to cross over one another to catch fish. This rare technique requires a crew of five to six people, long hours and a strong back.

Danny told us that he first began fishing with his father and remembers that when he started fishing for a living in the 1960s, fuel prices were about sixty cents a gallon. Now they're three dollars and fifty cents a gallon, yet the prices at the fish houses have decreased.  Watch this video of Danny explaining how long hauling works. 

Aaron Styron, III (“Little A”)

Aaron Styron comes from a long line of commercial fishermen on Cedar Island, North Carolina. Aaron has a small packinghouse on the island where he and his father, Aaron, Jr., can be found packing crabs in the spring and summer months. He spends the month of April shedding soft crabs. Aaron then switches to hard crabbing in Pamlico Sound and the waters surrounding Cedar Island. In the fall, Aaron, like many Cedar Islanders, derives most of his income from the flounder fishery. He sets pound nets and operates live ponds for flounders to be sold for the sushi market. Pound netting utilizes approximately 200 yards of “lead” or netting to guide fish into a diamond shaped area called the “hearts.” Once inside the “hearts,” the fish instinctively swim through the “funnel,” ending up within the “pound.” The “pound” is a square piece of “bunt” or netting with a floor, which holds the fish until the fishermen arrive to remove them. The pound-netting season generally lasts from September through the beginning of December.

Vince Emory

Vince Emory was born and raised on Cedar Island. He attended East Carteret High School and went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where graduated in 1998 with a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science. Though Vince worked in the real estate industry for two years following his graduation, his heart remained tied to the commercial fishing industry and to a life on the water. Thus, Vince returned to his family’s fishing heritage and became a forth generation commercial fisherman. When asked, Vince will tell you that he enjoys flounder fishing the most. It actually composes approximately 85% of his annual income. Vince will occasionally fish for mullet with his father in the waters surrounding Cedar Island and Portsmouth Island. In the off-season, Vince enjoys duck hunting with his fellow fishermen and longtime friends.

Justin & John Pigott

Justin & John Pigott are brothers that were born and raised Down East. They can be found aboard their shrimp boat during the spring, summer and fall months.

PD Mason

PD Mason is well known fisherman in Carteret County. PD takes great pride in providing a top quality catch! He can be found aboard his shrimp boat, the Lady Kimberly. When he's not catching shrimp, PD also enjoys catching jumping mullet. He and his wife are very involved in the organization that cares for the Shakleford Banks ponies as well as Carteret Catch.

Brett Willis

Brett was born and raised Down East. He works full time for Eddie and Alison during the spring and fall. During the summer, he works part time for the Willis' and part time as mate on the Sea Beagle, a charter boat out of Morehead City, NC. Many Carrboro shareholders might recognize Brett as he makes all of Core Sound Seafood's in-state deliveries. Brett is also a huge assets when it comes to packing shares as he is very skilled with a fillet knife. We are certainly proud to have him on board the Core Sound Seafood team.

Anna

Anna grew up in Japan with an appreciation for fresh seafood. She moved to Carrboro two years ago and fell in love with the vibrant community that values local farmers and food. She works on a research project exploring the benefits of local food systems and its intersection with community economic development. A co-founder of Core Sound Seafood, Anna enjoys working with the fishermen and learning from them. She recently visited Down East and was grateful to be reminded of North Carolina's agricultural diversity. The people were incredibly kind and welcoming and after eating a few soft shells, she didn't want to leave.