On February 27, 2025, Kristin Meewen and Lilah Henderson interviewed Suzanne Forsyth in McIntosh County, Georgia, for the Dock Stories oral history project. Suzanne Forsyth is a third-generation dock owner and manager whose family has been associated with the Valona dock for nearly a century. Her grandfather established the business in the 1930s, transitioning from oysters to shrimp. Her husband and other relatives operated boats, while she managed the fish house. Forsyth has lived in Valona her entire life and draws on decades of experience in Georgia’s commercial shrimping industry.

In the interview, Forsyth discusses the long history of the Valona dock, including its origins as an oyster factory, its mid-century transition to a shrimp operation, and the eventual leasing of the dock to other operators. She describes her role overseeing shrimp unloading, managing crews, and navigating challenges like fluctuating fuel costs, declining domestic shrimp prices, aging boats and crews, and the collapse of local infrastructure, including the closure of the regional ice plant. Forsyth outlines the changes she has observed in Georgia’s seafood industry, including the rise of imported shrimp, the decline of generational succession in the trade, and shifts in the labor force, specifically among captains and deckhands. She also reflects on environmental change, recounting a shift in local tidal behavior over several decades, though she expresses skepticism about the scope of human influence on climate patterns. Forsyth discusses her past experience in the charter business and her interest in local history and environmental education, including collaborations with academic researchers. She emphasizes the economic potential of oyster aquaculture and argues for greater investment in facilities that support local seafood production.