NAGS HEAD, N.C. — The Outer Banks Seafood Festival has been a staple in the community for more than a decade. Now in its 12th year, organizers expect 10,000 people from near and far to make their way to Nags Head to enjoy local seafood, drinks, music and education.
“We really want to highlight the working watermen and women out of the Outer Banks that bring in the best seafood in the world. And we want to promote their hard work, so we have this festival to do that," said Richard Hess, chairman of the OBX Seafood Festival.
It might sound strange, but some restaurants in the Outer Banks don’t feature locally caught seafood. The festival puts a priority on featuring restaurants that do, 13 of them this year to be exact.
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“We wanted to really focus with the restaurants on featuring local seafood, because a lot of times when people go to restaurants, they don't realize the seafood they're eating is not local. So, we put the emphasis on having these restaurants with local seafood," said Hess.
The festival also partners with the Outer Banks Community Foundation for a fund that includes proceeds that go to help watermen and women if they need help.
The festival is a chance to show the public the challenges that fisherman go through just to get fresh fish on the table. One challenge is weather during the window to fish for certain species.
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“If those 12 to 14 days fall when a hurricane comes, those times aren't extended on the back end or extended on the front end, you just don't harvest," said Woody Joyner, president of North Carolina Watermen United.
Another comes down to regulations from the state, specifically for certain fish populations from the Department of Marine Fisheries and the Marine Fisheries Commission.
“The flounder season gets shorter and shorter for commercial and for the recreational year by year, because they (DMF and MFC) feel like the population is not there. Now, there are a lot of fishermen, a lot of commercial fishermen, a lot of recreational fishermen that go ‘there's plenty of fish out there’," said Joyner.
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Despite these challenges, all involved with the festival feel any public outreach is a step in the right direction for solving some of these issues.
“Have a great time. Listen to the music. Have some great food, but please come to the educational tent, and talk to us, and let us tell you kind of what we're facing so that we can put fresh fish out," said Joyner.
The festival kicks off at 10 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m. on Saturday at Soundside Park in Nags Head (6800 S. Croatan Highway). It's important to know that there is no on-site parking for the event. A free shuttle service is being offered to and from the event that is headquartered at First Flight High School. For more information, head to the festival website here.
