Welcome Home Beach Shrimp Fleet
The new Surf Club at 1167 Estero Blvd. will host the inaugural “Welcome Home Beach Shrimp Fleet” Shrimp Fry on Saturday, Nov. 7. The event will begin at 11 a.m. until all the fresh, local, pink Gulf shrimp is gone. Cost: $8.
All proceeds to benefit the Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center, a 501c3 non-profit, to help educate the community and visitors as well as promote the unique marine environment and commercial fishing industry.
“We’re hoping for a few hundred pounds of Wild-caught American shrimp from one of our local boats for this event,” said Tracey Gore, coordinator of the event for the Ostego Bay Foundation. “We’re trying to get people to remember when you sit down at a local restaurant to ask for local Gulf shrimp. Farm-raised shrimp is ‘killing’ the local shrimpers.”
Gore’s husband, Henry, netted shrimp in Texas from June until mid-October before “running” his boat, Lexi Joe (the names of his two children) back to San Carlos Island. He is currently out doing his trade locally but is expected back for the fish fry.
“Boats are still trickling in from Texas,” said Gore. “They should all be back within the next couple of weeks. A lot of boats shrimp along the way back from Texas.”
A banner is currently flying near Winds at the foot of the Matanzas sky bridge.
“The banner is a community gesture that the Town of Fort Myers Beach allowed the Ostego Bay Foundation to put up to welcome the shrimpers home,” said Gore. “The shrimp fry kind of kicks off the whole celebration which includes the Blessing of the Fleet and the Shrimp Parade. The community evolves around the shrimping industry. Our biggest day of the year is the shrimp festival. People forget that this is what the parade is all about. This island was built on the shrimp industry.”
Ostego Bay Foundation President Joanne Semmer is looking forward to the event. She and Surf Club Owner Bruce Cermak are huge supporters of the shrimp industry. “Cookie” is volunteering his time to fry the shrimp.
“We’re hoping for a good turnout,” said Semmer. “The commercial fishing industry is such an important part of the community here on Fort Myers Beach.”
According to Semmer, there was a study done on economic analysis in 1999 at the University of Florida. The analysis documented that the San Carlos Island commercial fishing fleet brought in more than $100 million a year. The foundation educates the community about the working waterfront.
“The Ostego Bay Foundation supports our local fishing industry,” said Semmer. “We have a three-hour tour of the working waterfront on Wednesdays. We also are a designated water-front sports community.”
Gore says that most of the shrimp boats unload at Trico Shrimp Company on San Carlos Island.
“We want this event to turn back the clock when everyone was excited to see the shrimpers come back from Texas,” said Gore. “We hope this will be an annual event.”