Today the shoreline is quiet. A few old buildings give a hint of the once-bustling fish camp and seafood business that operated there.
In decades past, fish camps dotted the shorelines of Guinea, and probably other fishing communities as well. What were they?
The fish camps were not recreational areas; instead, they were the centers of activity for commercial fishing crews who went out daily before dawn to bring in the catch from their pound nets. The sooner they got back to the docks, the better price they could receive.
Sue Belvin Blake of Bena remembers them well. Her father, Howard Belvin, had fish camps near their home on Belvin Creek.
“The last one he had was in the field in our yard,” she said. “He kept supplies and kept a man in there who would cook lunch for them (the fishermen) every day.” In earlier days, even with a house full of young children, Howard’s wife Hazel would cook for everyone. The hired cook came after she couldn’t do it anymore.
Depending on the season, the fi...