Wilmington is a port city situated at the mouth of the Cape Fear River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The history of Wilmington is linked to the Cape Fear and all the industries that depend on it for survival. The Cape Fear River provides recreational fishing and boating opportunities as well as the water we drink and the seafood we eat. Since 1993 the Cape Fear River Watch has been dedicated to preserving the health and cleanliness of the river. Cape Fear River Watch is a grassroots, non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving and preserving the health, beauty and cleanliness of the Cape Fear River. They depend heavily on donations to reach their goals. Their biggest fund raising event of the year is the StriperFest Banquet and Auction.
StriperFest’s goal is to raise money to help improve migratory fish populations. The Striped Bass is a highly sought after fish for recreational anglers. It’s numbers are slowly rising due to the efforts of the Cape Fear River Watch to help the fish get past damns and locks to reach it’s spawning grounds.
This year’s event was held Friday night at the Coastline Convention Center in downtown Wilmington. The event featured live music, a catered buffet, beer and wine, raffle drawings, and a live auction. There was also a fishing tournament Saturday where local anglers competed for trophies and prizes. The event was a huge success raising well over 16,000 dollars. Towards the end of the night Cape Fear River Watch’s executive director, Frank Yelverton, addressed the crowd, “This is the biggest StriperFest we have ever had. With your help we will bring back the migratory fish populations.”