City used to be thriving place for shrimping, boat building
Along with an official city bird and flower, the city of St. Augustine now has an official seafood: Wild-caught shrimp.
The move received unanimous support from commissioners, who adopted a resolution.
"The historic San Sebastian River hosted an important chapter in U.S. maritime history," the resolution says. "Northeast Florida is the birthplace and home to the U.S. commercial shrimping industry … innovators, including Mike 'Sollecito' Salvador, Salvatore Versaggi and Antonio Poli, moved to St. Augustine in the early 1920s to set up fish houses and shrimping fleets that supplied northern markets … the industry grew rapidly, and a boatbuilding enterprise began in St. Augustine that became a cultural and economic mainstay of the city for most of the 20th century.
"Demand for shrimp boats spawned numerous building enterprises on the San Sebastian River, and the Florida-style trawlers built in St. Augustine were used in many fisheries throughout the world."
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The Commission changed the resolution to eliminate references to the nutritional value of shrimp and sustainability of shrimp, at the request of Commissioner Barbara Blonder.
"The practices of shrimp fishing using bottom trawling are very problematic in terms of maintaining marine ecosystems," she said.
But she voted for the resolution.
"I absolutely support this recognition, and as I understood it, it's a recognition of the culture and history of our shrimp fishing tradition and the families that contributed to that rich culture," Blonder said.
Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline made sure the Commission kept a line about the "unique" flavor of Florida shrimp.
"Because they are distinctly different in taste," she said.
The city has several "official" items. Among them: The official bird is the roseate spoonbill. The official city flower is the hibiscus. And the official city plant is the Spanish bayonet, also called the yucca.
A vibrant history of shrimping and boat building in St. Augustine
Families who made their mark on St. Augustine's shrimping industry include the Versaggi family.
Cousins John Versaggi and Grace Paaso recently shared a presentation with the Commission about the industry's history along with the request for wild-caught shrimp to be named the official city seafood.
Mayor Tracy Upchurch asked, jokingly, "My only concern, Ms. Paaso, is do you think we'll encounter any pushback from the mullet lobby?"
Versaggi and Paaso belong to a group that raised money for a monument to the shrimping and boat-building industries in St. Augustine.
The coquina and bronze monument, which lists sites connected to the history, is next to the San Sebastian River in front of Culinary Outfitters, which is near U.S. 1 and State Road 207.
"Shrimping and boat building [were] an economic mainstay in St. Augustine from the '20s through the '70s," Versaggi said. "There has not been a permanent marker established in the working waterfront. That is, the San Sebastian River. And the group felt that it was important that that be recognized."
Most of the local shrimping pioneers were "Italian, Greek and Portuguese immigrants," according to Versaggi's presentation.
"Shrimp was sold in salted barrels … mostly for bar snacks. Advent of manufactured ice greatly expanded markets as demand grew," according to the presentation. "Demand for shrimp boats spawned numerous boat yards on the San Sebastian River.
"Over 125 trawlers per year were produced at its peak. The San Sebastian River was home to over 20 'fish houses' which processed fresh shrimp for shipment to northern markets."
Salvatore Versaggi, an Italian immigrant, came to St. Augustine in the '20s and "established his fleet on the San Sebastian River and built a fish house … The Versaggi fleet fished out of St. Augustine down to Cape Canaveral and all the grounds in between," according to the book "Shrimp Boat City" by Ed Long and Brendan Burke, both of whom have helped with the monument effort.
Salvatore died in 1925. But his family, some of whom are still involved in the industry today, carried on the business. And "the Versaggi empire" eventually became "synonymous with Southeastern American shrimping," according to the book.
The Link LonkApril 28, 2021 at 09:08AM
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In nod to maritime history, St. Augustine names official seafood: wild-caught shrimp - St. Augustine Record
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