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Lewes should find way to keep net reel in place

September 24, 2021

The livelihood of Lewes residents has been tied to the sea.  The fishing net reel located at the Lewes Historical Society represents and reminds us of this history.  A July 2020 Cape Gazette article explains the history of the menhaden industry in Lewes.  The menhaden fishing operation was the most important part of the economy in Lewes.  The article notes that “By 1938, the Consolidated Fisheries Co. of Lewes was the largest processing plant in the United States” for menhaden “providing ingredients contained in fertilizer, vitamins, and makeup.”  Per the article, “In 1950 the industry contributed 1,050 men to Lewes‘ year-round population of 2,891.”  Even today with much greater population, there is no Lewes private employer employing anywhere near that many people.  “By 1953, Lewes was the largest seafood port in the country, serving as home base for a fleet of 25 ships.”

Many were employed catching the fish as well as processing the fish.  Per the article, “most of the factory people were full-time Lewes residents living in Belltown or the Camille Section of Lewes.”  The net reel was used to dry and repair the cotton nets.  It prevented the nets from mildewing.  Menhaden nets were up to 1,200 feet long by 80 feet wide.  Small boats with many men would haul in the nets with the small menhaden fish which were brought to the processing plants by larger boats. Many African American men worked side by side with white men to do this work. I remember the fish factory owned by former Mayor Otis Smith (mayor from 1950-68) which operated just south of Lewes Beach where Cape Shores is now located.  This was a tall concrete building where many locals worked.  I recall as a child the strong aroma of the fish factory, which closed in the 1960s when menhaden were less plentiful.    A clam factory operated on the canal near where the new boat ramp and DNREC offices are currently located.  The fishing business was good and was an economic backbone for Lewes.  And, as I have now learned, Mayor Smith treated his employees fairly and did not discriminate.

Today the fish and clam factories are gone.  The menhaden are not as plentiful.  And there are few Lewes residents from the past who continue to live in Lewes.  One of the few remembrances of this fishing industry is the fishing net reel now located at the Lewes Historical Society.  History is important.  A big part of the economy of Lewes now is tourism, and this fishing reel helps tell an important story of the past.

In my opinion, the City of Lewes should find a way to allow the Lewes Historical Society to keep the fish net reel.  This reel signifies to many descendants of Lewes the past and a non-discriminatory employer, highly unusual at the time.  The city should take whatever legal steps it needs to do to permit this historic artifact to remain in Lewes, and enlighten future residents and tourists. Although some see this fish net reel as unbecoming or incongruent with their neighborhood, many people now and in the future will see it as a remembrance of an important past tied to the sea.

David B. Baker
Milton
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