Shrimpers show 'how politics is supposed to work'

A modest protest over shrimp trawling just sank a Senate bill — and offered a reminder that in North Carolina politics, 100 well-timed voices still matter.

I don’t have strong feelings on the shrimp trawling bill. The environmental argument makes sense, but so do the economic concerns from folks on the coast. I’ll admit, I’m a little bit of a fish out of water on this issue.

But I wasn’t surprised at all when it became a political flashpoint this week. There’s a long history of tension between commercial fishermen and recreational anglers in North Carolina — and both sides know how to organize.

So I won’t debate the merits of the bill, but I do want to talk about is how the process played out.