Blessing of the Fleet 2022

Date: 2 Oct

Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm

Location: Morehead City, N.C.

Description:

The annual Blessing of the Fleet at the N.C. Seafood Festival honors men and women who fish for a living. As work boats parade along the Morehead City waterfront, a hymn is sung, a wreath is laid and a reverend recites a prayer for those who work the water.

"Without the fleet of commercial fishing vessels that come from Carteret County, the availability of fresh seafood in the state and even the nation would be greatly impacted," the N.C. Seafood Festival says at its website. "The commercial fishing vessels that make their home port in North Carolina provide one of the largest services to the entire nation with their ability to continually bring in the many varieties of fish and shellfish we have become so accustomed to having in our grocery stores.

"The men and women who risk their lives to make a living from the sea are the providers of the bountiful harvest that we currently enjoy in restaurants. But the sea is sometimes not so forgiving and we now recognize the importance of controlled harvesting of the fish population, the threat of pollution that may occur hundreds of miles from the shoreline and the obligation for all of us to work together to insure a constant supply of quality seafood. The festival’s goal, which is to recognize the many who have given their lives in their occupation and to thank those who do it today, is realized with the emotional Blessing of the Fleet on the Morehead City waterfront."