Working Waters
Capt. Tommie Jarman handed me a pair of “Sneads Ferry sneakers,” or white rubber boots — rubber so that I wouldn’t slip on the wet deck of the boat; white so that I wouldn’t leave scuff marks — and I climbed aboard his 35-foot wooden shrimp trawler named Faith & Hope. Captain Jarman runs Reel Livin’ Fishing Charters in Sneads Ferry, a small fishing village on the New River in Onslow County that’s been christened the “Shrimp Capital of the East Coast” and is home to the North Carolina Shrimp Festival. Only about 2,700 people live here year-round, and judging from the number of trawlers and fishing boats I saw outside of Davis Seafood, outside of Mitchell’s Seafood, outside of Grant’s Oyster House, I’d say it’s a safe bet that there…