October 9, 2026 — Dewey Hemilright, an Outer Banks commercial fisherman known both for his passion for the seafood industry and his criticisms of fisheries regulation, died Oct. 2, 2026, from complications after suffering a stroke in August.
He was 59. His celebration of life is at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Manteo First Assembly in Manteo. The full obituary as well as a place to share condolences and memories are on the Twiford Funeral Homes, Outer Banks, website, which handled the arrangements.
Born Feb. 20, 1967, Francis Duon “Dewey” Hemilright, Jr., of Kitty Hawk, owned and operated the fishing vessel Tar Baby out of Wanchese. He represented the state’s commercial fishing industry as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council for 11 years, seven of which as chairman for the council’s Highly Migratory Species Committee, North Carolina Fisheries Association, Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, NC Catch, and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel, and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT.
He was recognized with numerous awards for his commercial fishing advocacy, including the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which honored him in 2024 with the Ricks E Savage Award “given annually to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the management and conservation of fishery resources in the mid-Atlantic region.”