The Dive: Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy

Flicking heads off shrimp is one of the first jobs you learn when you’re born a Davis. 

Joseph “Jody” Davis remembers filling up a bucket of beheaded shrimp for his grandmother in exchange for a quarter when he was just 4 years old. “It wasn’t bad money in the ’70s,” he said, standing on the dock of Davis Seafood, the family business in Sneads Ferry. 

But if shrimpers like Davis hope to pass the tradition on to the next generation, something big has to change—and soon. The economics are making less sense, and if no one intervenes, shrimpers may be forced to pivot.

Local dockside shrimp prices have been slipping in North Carolina for decades, down to $2.11 per pound in 2022 from a 1979 peak that, adjusted for inflation, would amount to more than $8 today. Imported shrimp has been cheaper than wild-caught domestic shrimp since 2016, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance. American shrimpers have struggled to stay in business. 

Johanna F. Still looks at why shrimpers have been so hard-hit and digs into the policy changes and other aid they want from the federal government.

Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy

Shrimpers are fleeing the industry as cheap imports flood the domestic market. They’re fighting for relief before it’s too late.

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‘The Problem’

It’s not uncommon to hear elected officials speak cautiously and conditionally about budgets.

Not so Bill Rivenbark, chairman of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. In a conversation about public school funding during last week’s county budget meeting, the Republican chairman drew a line in the sand.

“I’m not giving them a dime until they fix the problem,” he said.

The “problem” is the $20 million budget shortfall New Hanover County Schools is facing. According to Superintendent Charles Foust, roughly 280 positions need to be eliminated. Some could be trimmed through retirements and resignations, but many would fall victim to painful cuts.

There are a few major factors behind the budget crisis, including expiring federal COVID relief funds, over-dependence on the district’s fund balance (basically, its savings account), declining enrollment numbers, and the increasing cost of employee benefits. 

But the problem isn’t that the schools need $20 million right now. The problem, from the county’s point of view, is that the schools will be asking for an extra $20 million every year from now on. 

Now, the county could provide that by raising property taxes $0.04–bringing the rate to $0.495, which is still lower than $0.555 as it was for nearly a decade up until 2021.

But the county looks to be headed in the other direction–it wants to cut property taxes by $0.005. And after receiving dozens, if not hundreds, of emails from education advocates, county commissioners issued a slightly defensive statement about how the county continues to provide exceptional support for public schools.

Over the last two decades, New Hanover County has increased funding for schools over and above inflation. It’s not the most across the state, but it’s up there. 

Still, for education advocates, Rivenbark’s comments are a betrayal. Rivenbark was previously a school board member, before leaving halfway through his first term to run for commissioner, and has routinely spoken up on education issues. Last year, during a forum on mental health in schools with Sen. Thom Tillis, Rivenbark called for more highly-trained professionals to work with students. 

In emails to the county and posts on social media, local activists and school board candidates have pointed to county’s abundant wealth. They ask: With experts, teachers, and the district’s own Turnaround Task Force all calling for more support, how can such an affluent community be talking about cuts?

But how to fix the problem?

The district could make the painful cuts, and hope the repercussions in the classrooms across the county aren’t too severe. And, the county could step in with some more limited funding, without a tax hike, to provide an off-ramp and cushion the blow.

Or, you could point to the state, as Rivenbark did in a candid, if slightly scattered, email response to an advocate’s question about Leandro funding last year.

Talk to state lawmakers, Rivenbark wrote, naming state Sen. Michael Lee and state Rep. Ted Davis. They’re “sitting on billions” and won’t return his calls, he said. “They have the money. Not us. Good luck. I hope you succeed 👍,” he wrote.

Of course there’s also the New Hanover Community Endowment, which despite some recent turbulence has been telling public officials it is very much “open for business.” But the endowment isn’t designed to fix the budget shortfalls of local government; it’s supposed to tackle systemic issues and make transformational change.

So, on that front, I suppose it depends on how big you consider “the problem” to be.

–Benjamin Schachtman

Read this newsletter online or contact The Dive team with tips and feedback at wilmington@theassemblync.com.

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Around the Region

Shoreline Standoff: Oak Island wants to borrow sand from offshore, but neighbors Caswell Beach and Bald Head Island aren’t keen on the plan, the State Port Pilot reports. 

Running on Fumes: State officials discussed the financial conundrum the Department of Transportation is facing at a Wilmington chamber event last week, Greater Wilmington Business Journal reports. Gas tax revenues must be reworked, they said, amid rising construction costs and more electric vehicles.

Receding Rent: The cost of rent in Wilmington has slumped more than 10 percent since September 2022, WHQR reports, the first decline after a feverish pandemic increase. 

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Around the State

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