Christine Skinner
Dock Stories
The Dock Stories project incorporates oral history research with other research methods in order to address simultaneous issues being experienced by fishing communities in Georgia. The project goals are to improve infrastructure and industry sustainability by identifying improvement opportunities within the constraints of land use, environmental impacts, weather patterns, aging infrastructure, and evolving vessel needs, while also documenting the cultural history of commercial fishing docks in Georgia. An integral part of the project is training student researchers in the Georgia Southern Anthropology program. Under the guidance of Dr. Sweeney Tookes (Georgia Southern University) and Bryan Fluech (University of Georgia Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant), students are receiving comprehensive training in conducting interviews, oral histories, and appropriate interview protocols. They then spend several days at a time on the Georgia coast, learning firsthand about the marshes, estuaries, vessels, and communities before commencing lengthy oral history interviews with local experts on the industry. This project began in 2024 and will continue through 2026, coordinated by Graduate Student Project Manager, Kristin Meeuwen.
Blake Pavri
On February 27, 2025, Blake Pavri and Logan Collins interviewed Christine Skinner at her dock in McIntosh County, Georgia, for the Dock Stories oral history project. Christine Skinner is a longtime shrimper and business owner who, along with her late husband, moved to McIntosh County in 1972. They purchased waterfront property and established Skinner Seafood in the early 1980s. Skinner has operated the dock ever since, continuing to oversee its daily operations with the help of her children and extended family. Her son, Ricky, began working on the boat at the age of 12, and her daughter, Cheryl, and son-in-law, Mike, have also worked as part of the business. Skinner describes herself as “the boss,” responsible for directing dock activity, selling shrimp, and maintaining the family-run enterprise through decades of change.
In the interview, Skinner describes the founding and operation of Skinner Seafood, emphasizing the dock’s unique history as a family-built and operated site. She discusses the decline of the shrimping industry in Georgia, attributing it mainly to the influx of imported shrimp and the resulting drop in prices, which she identifies as the primary challenge for local shrimpers. Skinner notes that while storms and hurricanes have rarely caused significant damage, rising tides have affected her property, including flooding her office and damaging a fruit tree. She recounts the labor-intensive nature of shrimping, including repairing nets damaged by sharks and relying on ice to preserve the catch. The shutdown of local ice plants had a direct impact on their operations. Skinner expresses pride in her family’s role in sustaining the dock and reflects on the complex economic realities facing independent shrimpers today.
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