The “powers that be” seem to ignore polluters and quite frankly, the raping of our waterways, to say nothing of the people who live and work in a working waterfront neighborhood.
We are in a crisis situation in Mayport Village, Florida, a working waterfront area. Jaxport (Jacksonville Port Authority) has bought the lion’s share of our waterfront on the beautiful St. John’s River. They plan to turn it into a cruise ship terminal.
It has been a struggle for the shrimpers, in particular, to make a decent living. The Asian markets that sell a dangerously inferior product have been undercutting the legitimate shrimping industry. The shrimpers have been organized and attempting to lobby but it fell on deaf ears. Consequently, the industry has been in peril for a number of years, yet somehow hanging on with sacrifices from many..
Now, the new predator is the cruise ship industries. We in Mayport Village have approximately 36 to 40 working shrimp boats along with approximately 14 commercial fishing vessels. If Jaxport and the cruise industry push the fishing and shrimping boats into a more congested, costly area with difficult accessibility, many will not survive.
We are a historic fishing village, established in 1565. Our recorded history is stunning — with Timucua Indians in the 16th century, to European settlers such as the talented Minorcans who have a long history of fishing and waterway navigation. They welcomed other people regardless of ethnicity. Shrimping and fishing has been a part of our history since our inception at the mouth of the St. John’s river within a short distance to the mighty Atlantic Ocean. In World War II, we lost a lot of land to the U.S. Navy but we held our ground and now have a tight knit community of about 278 residents with shrimpers making up a large part of that community. We have the oldest civic association in the state of Florida with historical sites within our little village. All of that will be lost if the waterfront is decimated.
With the collaboration of residents, shrimpers and seafood restaurants, and of course, our civic association, we are standing up for working waterfronts. The politicos appear to feed us one lie after another, so, we are appealing to the public for support and encouragement.
I urge all of the working waterfronts to join us in any way possible to save our livelihoods and communities. Once again, thank you for your interest. If you are able to publish our plight in your publication, we would be eternally grateful. You may contact me at my e-mail address or cell phone (904)866-0696.
Roseanne Hunt-Harkin
Mayport Village, Florida
RsnnHnt@aol.com