September 14, 2018 — “We have everything secured — as much as we could do,” said fisheries writer Susan West on Thursday morning from the Outer Banks village of Buxton, N.C., as Hurricane Florence bore down on the Carolina coast. “We have plywood shutters up on most of our windows. The boat has extra lines on it.”
Her husband, Rob, fishes their 34-foot gillnetter, the Lucy B., which is docked at Jeffery’s Seafood on the sound side of nearby Hatteras Village.
“Most of the folks that we know — the fishermen — all stayed here,” West said. “Hatteras Village is still a thriving commercial fishing center.”
Farther south in Merritt, just outside of Oriental and closer to the storm’s projected path, NF contributor Maureen Donald reported similar circumstances.
“A very unscientific survey of residents deciding to ride out the storm proved to be commercial fishing families. Reasons for staying inevitably center on being near their boats and equipment. At nearby Oriental, it’s evident that two of the largest commercial fishing operations have made preparations — the docks are lined with trawlers securely tied to the docks.”
She added that the fleet has been busy for days leading up to the storm’s arrival.