33rd Annual NCMHC Conference 2023

The story of North Carolina is closely interwoven with the maritime world. Throughout prehistory, American Indian tribes utilized dugout canoes to maintain lines of communication, trade, and relied on the marine environment. Ships of exploration and colonial craft of every description plied coastal, sound, and riverine waters. Vessels of piracy, warfare, and commerce led to legendary shipwrecks, heroic rescues, and enduring maritime mysteries. Over time, maritime industries flourished adjacent to and within the resource rich waters of the Tar Heel State. All this combines to form an incredibly profound maritime heritage, the legacy of which grows with every new discovery. As the maritime research community grows, so does our collective understanding of our maritime past and how it impacts our future. This legacy can be found in historical documents that are preserved by various institutions, family histories or genealogy, in coastal and riverine towns, the landscape of along our coast and inland waterways, or beneath the waves and waters across the Graveyard of the Atlantic. It can also be found in, and formed by, the individuals that seek to study and preserve it.

Thursday Reception: Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, Joyner Library, ECU Main Campus

Friday & Saturday Conference: Harvey Hall at the Murphy Center, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

Friday Dinner & Keynote: Harvey Hall at the Murphy Center, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

Keynote Speaker: Barbara Garrity-Blake

Title: High Liners and Rabble Rousers: Legendary Participants of the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Industry

Keynote Abstract: The history of North Carolina’s commercial fisheries is well documented. Less visible are the personalities and lived experiences of commercial fishers who have shared their knowledge and stories with researchers throughout the years. I will highlight a few people who have helped me better understand the complexities of commercial fishing. I will describe how I crossed paths with them, and offer reflections on their legacy achievements in helping shape North Carolina fisheries and management in the past fifty years.

About the Speaker: Barbara Garrity-Blake is a cultural anthropologist and author. She teaches marine fisheries policy at the Duke University Marine Laboratory and is president of NC Catch, a local seafood advocacy non-profit. She is author of The Fish Factory (University of Tennessee Press), and co-author of Fish House Opera (Mystic Seaport Press with Susan West) and Living at the Water's Edge (UNC Press with Karen Amspacher). She lives in Gloucester (Carteret County) with her husband Bryan, where they organize the Gloucester Mardi Gras and the Wild Caught Local Seafood and Music Festival.