Hard Times and a Nickel a Bucket

Author John R. Maiolo chronicles North Carolina’s shrimp industry from its surprisingly recent early-twentieth-century origins though the economic, marketing, technological, and political changes that have made it one of the state’s most important fisheries.

“Maiolo’s book is an accessible, comprehensive, and intriguing overview of the history and importance of the North Carolina shrimp industry from its earliest beginnings. Anyone who desires to fully understand both the commercial fishermen who make up this vital state fishery and the impact of their labor upon limited coastal resources would be well advised to read Maiolo’s detailed study” notes Robert Lee Maril, Chair, Department of Sociology, East Carolina University and author of Texas Shrimpers, Condos and Cannibals, and most recently, Waltzing with the Ghost of Tom Joad Preston Pate, Jr., Fisheries Director, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, adds, “Maiolo’s work presents helpful information for fishermen, managers, economists, sociologists, and others involved in this important industry. [. . .] He has chronicled important historical trends and information and created a comprehensive reference source for the future.”

After receiving his Ph.D. in sociology from Penn State in 1965, author John Maiolo taught and conducted social-policy research at Notre Dame and Indiana Universities. In 1975, he became chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department at East Carolina University (ECU) and later supervised the development of ECU’s Department of Economics. Instrumental in developing ECU’s teaching, research, and service programs that focus on coastal-zone issues and fisheries management. ECU awarded him the title of professor emeritus upon his retirement in 2000. The author of several books, including one on the impacts of Hurricane Floyd and numerous articles on this and other topics, Maiolo has also served as a consultant for private companies and governmental regulatory agencies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. His research on the shrimp fishery was first undertaken in 1978 and has continued since then.