Peggy 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, Kristin Meewen and Lilah Henderson interviewed Peggy Skinner at Skinner Seafood in McIntosh, Georgia, for the Dock Stories oral hisory project. Peggy Skinner is part of a long-standing commercial fishing family that has operated Skinner Seafood for decades. She and a group of women—primarily family members and spouses of fishermen—have historically run the dock, managing shrimp unloading, fuel, and sales operations. Her husband, Ricky, began shrimping at age thirteen and remains deeply involved in maintaining the dock infrastructure.
In the interview, Skinner reflects on the evolution and decline of the shrimping industry along the Georgia coast. She describes the challenges posed by federal and state regulations, competition from imported farm-raised shrimp, environmental changes such as hurricanes and black gill disease, and economic hardships linked to poor shrimp prices and rising fuel costs. She recounts memorable events at the dock, including flooding from extreme tides and a major shrimp sale to the public around Christmas in the early 2000s, following a buyer's withdrawal of a promised offer. Skinner also notes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on crew availability and voices concern about the future of the commercial fishing industry, expressing reluctance to see younger generations, including her grandchildren, follow in the profession.
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