miss brenda joyce

 

The Miss Brenda Joyce was just one of the shrimp boats docked in Darien.  I was just a few weeks late for the "Blessing of the Fleet", a three-day festival ending with each shrimp boat being blessed in the hopes of safe travels and bountiful harvest.  Darien is on the Georgia "Agritourism Trail."  There were many bumper stickers that said "Friends don't let friends eat import shrimp" or "Say No to Drugs; Don't Eat Imported Shrimp" on the pickups parked at the seafood wholesalers by the dock.

 

Darien, Georgia

4.25.2016





shrimp boats

 

Darien, Georgia once had the largest shrimping fleet on the Georgia coast, with several shrimp and oyster packing houses in town along the banks of the Altamaha River. Supply and demand of shrimp and increasing costs such as diesel fuel and loans on bigger, more modern boats have resulted in economic uncertainty in recent years. Today, Darien's shrimpers struggle to survive against competition from cheaper, imported shrimp. Many boats, like these are docked.

 

Darien, Georgia