July 23, 2025 — All was still on the New River near the Davis Seafood fish house. But when 83-year-old William “Buddy” Davis walked out of his home and pulled on tall rubber boots, it signaled the work was about to begin.
Not far from tourist-filled beaches of Topsail Island, the Davis family began preparing for the homecoming of the 58-foot Capt. Davis and more than 10,000 pounds of shrimp it harvested from the South and Neuse rivers.
Jody Davis, co-owner of the Sneads Ferry fish house, hosed down the concrete floor and filled a metal vat with water. Using a skid-steer loader, he scooped buckets of ice into large bins.
Soon Capt. Billy Davis, one of Jody’s older brothers, was docking his boat between two others with the help of his crew — both kin.
Then the unloading began. Tons of brown shrimp were washed, counted, weighed and packed with ice into boxes ready to be sold or shipped. Everyone, including Jody’s father-in-law, who’s allergic to shrimp, pitched in.
As the packing continued, Billy Davis stepped ashore to get a closer look.
“I love shrimping,” he said. “It gives me that competitive thing that I need, where sports used to give it to me. Now I try to catch as many shrimp as I can.”
In a surprise move last month, state legislators almost banned shrimpers from trawling state waters including the Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.
Members of the Davis family were among those who rushed to Raleigh to help defeat the ban. For now, they are back shrimping.
“It’s just not what it used to be, but it’s really the only thing we know,” Jody Davis said. “So we’re going to do it as long as we can.”
But how long he can continue is not clear. Families like his are fighting to preserve a job — and a way of life — that has supported them and their ancestors for generations.
Some challenges have been around for years. Recreational fishing advocates and conservationists accuse shrimpers of killing fish and damaging coastal habitats. Required to protect fisheries, state regulators limit where, when and how they can trawl.
Often cheaper shrimp imported from Ecuador, Indonesia and Vietnam have flooded the U.S. market, making it harder for North Carolina shrimpers to sell their catches for a decent price.
In a surprise move last month, state legislators almost banned shrimpers from trawling state waters including the Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.
Members of the Davis family were among those who rushed to Raleigh to help defeat the ban. For now, they are back shrimping.
“It’s just not what it used to be, but it’s really the only thing we know,” Jody Davis said. “So we’re going to do it as long as we can.”