BY MILES LAYTON
Let’s step back a moment to reflect on how a group of fishermen and their supporters shook the halls of the General Assembly, made their voices heard in such a strong way that the powers-that-be surrendered.
Let’s be honest, that kind of revolution advancing common sense and the working man’s causes doesn’t succeed every day. People with deep pockets and special interest groups tend to manage politicians more than the voters’ needs or concerns.
People from Hyde County and from all coastal communities, fishermen, Republican/Democrat legislators from across NC, most of them anyway, local political party chiefs, the Albemarle Commission and people that you never see in the headlines – they did this – they deserve a victory lap.
What’s the takeaway from killing HB442 for the General Assembly?
“The biggest takeaway is the people that are there right now know if there is another fishing issue, doesn’t have to be a ban on trawling, but they always talk about banning trawls, banning nets, — they know they’re going to have people there. That’s key. Do we really wanna do this? I mean, it’s not that they don’t want you there, but if they’re trying to push something in favor and we don’t want it or vice versa, there there are going to be a lot of people there. That’s very, very important,” said Jerry Schill, an influential lobbyist on behalf of commercial fishermen, now retired, in a video posted to social media.
Victory Lap
Local legislators, such as Senator Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck, Representatives Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, and Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, and Senator Norm Sanderson, R-Carteret, fought bravely against what at the time seemed overwhelming odds to kill this bill that had the support of the Senate and perhaps the House’s powerbrokers.
That said, the bill could possibly resurface when the House reconvenes after a summer break, possibly in August, so it is best to stay organized, vigilant.
“A lot of people are putting it dead. Let me give you a word of advice,” Schill said. “In the General Assembly, nothing’s ever dead. They truly believe in the resurrection in Raleigh, so keep that in mind.”
A high-five goes to Sen. Hanig, who, despite overwhelming odds, fought this bill tooth and nail.
“Working with the citizens of Eastern North Carolina to save livelihoods, generational businesses and our heritage has been one of the proudest times of my political career,” he said. “We all came together for a great victory. SHRIMP ON!”
Rep. Goodwin deserves a gold star for lobbying the House, making them see common sense values that he learned as a native of Chowan County – God’s country — how faith, fight, and freedom can win.
“Today, we stood our ground—and won,” Goodwin posted to social media. “House Bill 442, hijacked in the Senate to include a reckless ban on shrimp trawling in inland and nearshore waters, is officially dead. Let me be clear: this was never about the environment. This was about power and politics—about gutting a way of life without understanding it.”
“Down East, we don’t back down when it comes to defending our people. We’re talking about generations of honest, hard-working North Carolinians—families who have fished these waters for centuries, feeding their communities and supporting our coastal economy. The Senate tried to sink them without so much as a conversation.”
Goodwin continued, “But we showed up. United. Loud. Relentless. And we sent a message: you do not trample over Eastern North Carolina. I thank every single fisherman, advocate, and lawmaker who stood with us. We still have work to do to protect and rebuild our coastal industries, but for today—faith, fight, and freedom won.”
“God bless our watermen and the communities who support them.”
Richard Newman, who co-owns Newman Seafood and Country Road Seafood with his brother Dell, was an outspoken critic of HB 442. He organized a petition drive that garnered more than 9,500 signatures, spoke to lawmakers and media about commercial fishermen. Richard – much appreciated.
“I have been thanked and congratulated a lot on the last couple hours. Please do not thank me or congratulate me. I played such a minimal role in this and the fight is never over. There are so many others that deserve thanking more than I ever will.”
“First we have Senator Bobby Hanig and Senator Norman Sanderson,” he posted to social media. “They fought tooth and nail for us even when they were down. They were never out of this fight. They kept kicking ass for our industry.
“Next I want to thank the entire House of Representatives. I want to extend a special thanks to Representative Keith Kidwell, Representative Ed Goodwin, Representative Frank Iler, Representative Howard Penny and I know I am missing a lot of names. Thank you to the NC House Republican Caucus.”
Newman continued, “Thank you to the Democrat Representatives that had our backs. The support was 100% noticed. Special thanks to Representative Pricey Harrison. She emailed and talked to my niece multiple times through this whole ordeal and showed her support.”
“The entire seafood industry needs to thank Steve Troxler – NC Commissioner of Agriculture and N.C. Farm Bureau and all the farmers that stood beside us in this fight. I will not forget it! No one in our industry should forget it!”
“I also want to extend a thank you to Kathy Rawls director of the NC Division of Marine Fisheries for her voicing her opposition to the HB 442 Amendment.”
“Now we have all the groups that were there fighting this fight. Thank you to North Carolina Fisheries Association, Inc., NC CATCH, NC Watermen United, and North Carolina Blue Crab Association. Without each and every ones of these groups this would not have been possible. If I missed a group please feel free to add them in the comments.”
Representative Kidwell, R-Beaufort, gave a fiery speech – so he too deserves a thumbs up.
“Our shrimpers don’t want a payout – they want a paycheck,” he posted to social media. “There are hardworking men and women who have built their lives around this industry. I’m proud that Republicans listened to their constituents and took another look at these misguided bills.”
Last week, the Albemarle Commission approved a strong resolution opposing HB 442 same as many county and municipal governments across the region. Commission’s representatives are powerbrokers whose influence is felt near and far across Northeastern NC, so when it sends a message like this, people tend to listen.
David Whitmer, Interim Executive Director of the Albemarle Commission, was in Raleigh this week talking to legislators – saying this bill will kill jobs and communities.
“The Albemarle Commission represents a region where commercial fishing is not only a way of life but also a vital part of our economy. This week, the voices of our coastal communities were heard. I traveled to Raleigh carrying not just paper resolutions, but the deep concerns of the people who make their living on the water – families who have shrimped these waters for generations. The outpouring of support from fishermen, local leaders, and citizens was powerful. The decision not to move forward with HB 442, as it was amended by the Senate, is a relief to so many in our region. It shows that when we stand together – rural voices, small towns, and working people – we can make a real difference.”
Whitmer continued, “On behalf of the Albemarle Commission, I want to express deep gratitude to Senator Bobby Hanig for steadfastly leading the charge against this amendment. He, along with Senator Norm Sanderson and others, stood up for our region against overwhelming odds. And I thank the House Republican caucus for listening to those voices and choosing not to advance the bill. It’s a powerful reminder that when grassroots advocacy meets principled leadership, North Carolina’s traditions and livelihoods win.”
In addition to these folks, there were many others who shared the word and inspired support from places near and far – GOP leaders Michele Nix and Harvey West, lifelong commercial fisherman Dell Newman, Hyde County strong Melissa Lynn-Dodge and Gwen Jarvis Newman. There were many, many people who pointed folks in the right direction and fought the good fight.
A lifetime spent serving commercial fishermen as lobbyist before retiring as Director of Government Relations for the N.C. Fisheries Association, Schill said it best about the folks descending on Raleigh to make their voices heard in the halls of power.
“The turnout, I wanna talk about that just briefly. Thirty eight years — I have a lot of experience doing this. I have a lot of experience getting a crowd in Raleigh, but I never experienced anything like this. I mean I’m talking good stuff here. Brent Fulcher (a business owner with operations in New Bern and Beaufort) — he deserves more than a pat on the back. Glenn Skinner (executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association) too and there were other people involved. But as far as getting the trucks there, and the ice there, and they even had shrimp there, and the vats of water for everybody. I mean, that was all Brent and his staff and all. That was just phenomenal… I’m in awe of what they were able to do.”
Schill continued, “The turnout, you can talk to the sergeant in arms, you can talk to the security folks, they’re going to tell you. The long the old timers, they’ve never seen anything like it in terms of having such a large group and being so respectful.”
Monday — how it all began
The Albemarle Observer covered this issue from beginning to end. Definitely not the “drive-by media” — we spoke daily with sources not only in the General Assembly, but also with commercial fishermen and their families. Other than a prominent business leader dying in Edenton and the fire at Captain Bob’s restaurant, this was by far the biggest story we’ve ever covered and the one with the most far reaching impact.
Mid to late afternoon Monday, June 15, I received a tip that the Senate had amended HB442. To be candid, I didn’t know what that meant, but when some folks say “check this out”, I stop what I’m doing, paddle my kayak to shore.
My wife Nicole and I knew it was an important issue because it affected Hyde and Tyrrell counties as well as coastal communities that we’ve traveled through from time to time. Additionally, we were concerned that if we didn’t present this issue from the fishermen’s perspective, the mainstream media would likely fall prey to its inherent biases against working-class people, potentially publishing unfair stories in support of striped bass and/or serving as a mouthpiece for state leaders like they did during the covid lockdowns.
Albemarle Observer was the first local media outlet to report on the matter – let that sink in. We haven’t been around very long, but people in our region turn to us because we care about the people, places and issues in our community.
The legislation, aimed at curbing environmental damage from large-scale trawling in inshore waters, sparked sharp division between conservation advocates and coastal businesses dependent on local seafood.
HB 442’s opponents warned that the passage of the bill could cripple an already fragile coastal economy, shuttering small seafood businesses and severing consumer access to North Carolina-sourced shrimp and oysters.
Unless you are a half mile from the Atlantic Coast, inshore bodies of water like the Pamlico Sound would be off limits to shrimping. With approximately 70% of the state’s shrimp being harvested inshore, this would severely restrict access to the fishery for smaller boats. The bill was poised for discussion in the Senate.
After reading the proposed amendment restricting shrimping, I reached out to folks in Hyde County for guidance – Tara Carawan Forehand, Manager at Captain Neill’s Seafood of Columbia – she connected me with Dell Newman of Newman Seafood in Swan Quarter.
To that story, I added my own recollections of talking with fishermen in various places over the years who had trawled for shrimp to make ends meet. Shrimping is not easy work – to say the least. And commercial fishing can be dangerous work, much like farming, coal mining or timbering. Despite the challenges of working as a commercial fisherman, if I could hit the reset button on life, I’d be happy to be shrimping or crabbing for a living.
After the story was posted on Monday evening, the news spread quickly, going viral, as they say. When folks in Hyde County shared the story, an alert was sounded across near and far across the coast.
Terrible Tuesday
People started to reach out, call/text the Albemarle Observer, because the Senate Ag Committee was to meet – folks suggested that it would be good to cover that meeting because an amendment that might ban shrimp trawling would be discussed.
Problem was, I lost my glasses after a rogue wave crashed into me on Sunday in Nags Head, so no driving. However, after getting the video link to the committee meeting, I was able to cover Raleigh from Edenton, the state’s first Colonial capital.
That amendment was 23rd hour – I know from my own experiences writing about the legislature that adding a last minute amendment is anything but last minute.
Maybe a lawmaker was hoping no one would notice the last minute amendment long enough to challenge the changes to HB442 when the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment was to meet Tuesday.
And smart politicians don’t push forward amendments or bills without gauging the support in advance. I suspect some folks knew they had the votes in the Senate – legislators often quietly poll support before doing anything because no one wants to muddy up a bill to fail, thus losing political capital.
That 11th hour change – that seemed to be baked into the cake, especially after Senator Bill Rabon, the powerful Senate Rules Chairman, lent his support to the amendment. Interesting how the amendment was introduced without public hearings or stakeholder inuput.
As to HB441 — originally a bill to adopt the Loggerhead Sea Turtle as the state reptile — it was strange how that bill was suddenly gutted to be a companion measure to HB442, authorizing up to $10 million in compensation over five years for affected commercial shrimpers. These changes were inserted without talking to the bill’s original primary sponsors — a bill that the House approved in May with overwhelming bipartisan support. Poor turtles…
Thank God Senator Hanig was on fire that Tuesday morning, objecting in no uncertain terms to HB442. Though Hanig offered counter amendments intended to table the bill for further study – the Ag Committee wasn’t biting, which seemed a bit strange for such a controversial amendment.
Red flag — the time scheduled for the Ag Committee meeting was limited – to end at 11 a.m. that morning because the room was reserved for someone else. Maybe that’s coincidental, but 17 people, perhaps traveling from long distances, signed up to speak about the matter, however, only a handful were allowed to give brief 2-minute speeches because of the committee’s tight time constraints. You’d think that the Ag Committee could recess long enough to find another room, but again – the die was cast on this bill long before it went to the full Senate on Wednesday.
The question then becomes – even with the support of a majority of senators on the Ag Committee, why risk an amendment that might be considered a “poison pill”? For all practical purposes, most legislators are cautious people, certainly not the type to throw bombs. And Sen. Rabon, R-Brunswick, is not a stupid guy, so why risk it?
Answer – Senate supporters of HB442 felt a disturbance in the Force.
Sure, one can say that the senators voted according to their conscience for environmental reasons to safeguard coastal waters and fishing stocks, but…
Hanig said that by passing HB442, the General Assembly could ignore a state-commissioned scientific review of fisheries conditions — a study that was approved with $1,000,000 in taxpayer funds in the North Carolina General Assembly’s 2021-22 state budget, according to the Island Free Press.
Rather than risk defeat, that amendment was put forward at the 11th hour to jam this change through so that the study couldn’t have an impact on the General Assembly’s decision making process.
Hanig said the quiet part out loud — legislators work for the special interests rather than the people.
“It’s been no secret that the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and North Carolina Wildlife Federation have been in full on assault against the commercial fishermen for years,” Now they have the attention of a few influential politicians to help them with their agenda. Ain’t that convenient? This amendment is about money and influence, nothing less. Don’t let anyone fool you. Don’t let anyone convince you different. That’s what it’s all about.”
Hanig continued, “They work for special interests like the CCA, Wildlife Federation. I implore you to vote no on this bill. We need to save our citizens. We need to save our counties.”
Wednesday’s Woes With the Senate
When the full Senate considered the bill on Wednesday, HB442 passed the Senate 40-4 – only a quartet of senators voted against the bill, all Republicans representing coastal areas — Hanig, Sanderson, Bob Brinson and Michael Lazzara.
As a longtime member of the General Assembly, Sanderson said he has never voted to put someone out of work.
“I’ve been in the General Assembly for fifteen years. I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally voted to deny someone the ability to work and to put them out of business. And I’m not going to start with this bill in this current form, HB 442. It’s going to do that, and I apologize to these people (commercial fishermen) that are in this chamber this afternoon who have come up here to advocate for their jobs and to advocate for their futures and to advocate to keep an industry that has been so regulated.”
A seasoned lawmaker, Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) certainly knew how the cards would stack up before the first vote was cast. Afterward, Berger told reporters, “The Senate passed a good provision. It’s our position that continuing to allow trawling in inland waters is detrimental to the state overall [and] detrimental to our aquatic fish population. We’re the only state on the East Coast or the Gulf Coast that allows that kind of net fishing in the inland waters and it’s time for us to change that.”
Last Thursday, the Senate approved a third reading of the bill – more or less a form vote.
Formerly Director of Government Relations of N.C. Fisheries Association, Schill explained what happened in a video he posted to social media.
“So the senate did their evil work, not calling the senators evil. I am calling what they did evil, just so you know. Thirty eight years of doing this, I think I know what’s bad and what’s good, and this was evil, the process. You know, you can believe what you wanna believe about trolling or shrimp trolling, but the process was was bad, bad, bad”
Senators Berger and Rabon should’ve known better to support the bill; they FAFO.
Revolution Brewing; Pitchforks Ahead
Tuesday, when the House was poised to consider the bill in an up or down vote, a lot of things had changed. Hundreds of commercial fishermen and their families, lawmakers, Republican legislators and their political party counterparts descended on Raleigh to make their voices heard.
Chowan County was at the center of the resistance that was brewing. Rep. Goodwin posted to social media his opposition to the bill in no uncertain terms.
“This will not pass the House. We had a great bill (HB 442) which only sought to re-open the Southern Flounder and Red Snapper season that was shut down by NCDMF proclamation. The problem came when Senator Bill Rabon, Senate Rules Chairman, added this anti-trawling amendment at the 11th hour. I am leading the fight in the NC House to stop this amendment that will effectively eliminate the shrimping industry and put thousands of hard-working North Carolinians out of work and destroy a century old way of life. The commercial fishermen and shrimpers are the backbone of our excellent and vibrant seafood industry, and I will fight until last dog dies to protect it!”
Receiving texts from various sources, I was told that though the House Republican Caucus was scheduled to take up the bill on Tuesday, that vote was rescheduled til Wednesday.
Schill said a lot of things were going on behind the scenes.
“So a lot of work done on Tuesday,” he said. “A lot of fishermen and us. We we talked to legislators. The decision was up to the Republican caucus because they’re in the majority. It’s a bipartisan issue. We have support on the Democrat side too, but unless the Republican majority agrees to hear the bill, then it’s a moot point. But anyway, on Tuesday, they delayed the decision. They did talk about it and, you know, what happens in caucus supposedly stays in caucus unless you have one of the little birds in your ear telling you stuff.”
That the bill didn’t come up for a vote Tuesday was a possible red flag, could be good or bad.
House members on either side of the issue were seeing which way the wind was blowing.
Off the record sources suggested the bill was probably dead but had not yet been given last rites.
Opponents of the bill – they were asked to stay in Raleigh on Wednesday to convince the House to oppose HB442. Firm in their convictions, they didn’t leave Raleigh.
Wednesday, after a closed-door Republican caucus, lawmakers decided to abandon the amended version of the bill, citing overwhelming backlash from fishing communities and concern over the Senate’s last-minute addition of a trawling ban. Even Democratic caucus was split.
“This is an allocation issue,” said Representative Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford. “And, in fact, if we were focused on the environment and its impacts on the sustainability of fish, we’d be talking about water quality, we’d be talking about coastal development, we’d be talking about protecting our wetlands, restoring our buffers, instead of going in the opposite direction. And the big elephant in the room, the climate crisis, because it is raising the temperatures of the estuaries and the ocean, creating ocean acidification and that is actually what’s affecting the access to the fish the most.”
The bill could resurface when the House reconvenes after a summer break, possibly in August.
That said, only lawmakers stupid enough to piss against an electric fence would revisit this issue. There’s already talk of primarying coastal lawmakers who supported HB442. Sen. Rabon surely won’t be the only coastal lawmaker looking over his shoulder in the months ahead.
So remember, if there is a Pet Cemetery in Raleigh, then the bill can come back to life.
Last Thoughts
I’ll say it — it’s rare when the General Assembly more or less reverses itself, rarer still is when people get involved, beat a system that’s meant to protect itself and serve its members.
People of Hyde County and other coastal communities took a brave stand against overwhelming odds to pull this off. Think about it — they galvinized support and organized a huge protest more or less over the weekend. Moreover, they convinced most area lawmakers, Republicans, to support their cause, even added a few Democrats.
Please buy a bag of local shrimp today to show your support for the commercial fishermen!
Last word goes to Schill, who said when reflecting on what happened in Raleigh, “It was a great week, all things considered. Cost people a lot of money (travel/time off from work). Yeah. But that’s what you have to do when you’re fighting for your livelihood. And it was so great to see everybody. It was really a good week. God bless you.”