Witnessing an Archetype / Eric Horan

In the 1980s, it was common to see numerous shrimpers along the oceanfront at Hilton Head and neighboring barrier islands. Today, we are lucky to see two or three. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reports that shrimp trawling licenses have declined to about one-fourth of what they were forty years ago, driven by market pressure from lower-priced imports and skyrocketing operational costs.

My first encounter with this industry was a memorable morning in September 1981. As a visitor from Colorado, I was captivated by the sight of a dozen shrimp boats working just offshore. Since then, the industry has faced a steady decline. To support our local shrimpers, we can prioritize purchasing fresh, local shrimp for our meals and frequenting restaurants that do the same. Sharing the story of this industry with others is also vital to its survival.

Since that first morning, I have captured hundreds of images of these trawlers. During my seasonal photo tours, we spend significant time following the boats, often positioned right beside the nets. This offers a unique vantage point to witness dolphins surfacing beside us and terns diving for fish stirred by the nets.

Sharing these tours is a sincere pleasure. While tasting fresh South Carolina shrimp is transformative, witnessing the work of a shrimp boat firsthand makes you a lifelong patron of the industry.

To learn more, I encourage you to explore Facebook groups such as The Salty Shrimper, Shrimp Boats of the Lowcountry, Shrimpers of the South (SOS), and the Beaufort Shrimp Festival. (See Shore birds and Shrimp boats for seabird text)