Abstract:
Parramore describes a way of life that lasted for over one hundred years on the Albemarle Sound and its tributaries, the use of great sweep-seines to harvest runs of shad, herring, and other fish. He discusses the work and skill of the workers who manned the seines, which could often stretch up to two miles. The work period was short, lasting from around eight weeks in the early spring, when the fish swarmed the waters in uncountable numbers. By the beginning of World War II, use of the great seines on the Albemarle waters was over; they were victims of smaller and more efficient equipment.