The island's year-round population has dwindled to perhaps 250 in its three communities of Ewell, Tylerton and Rhodes Point as people have moved away.
The watermen who remain are angry at state regulators over new rules that will cut short the season for catching female crabs by nearly two months. The regulations are another impediment to making a living the traditional way, they say.
Fewer crabs mean fewer watermen working the waters of Tangier Sound. In turn, membership in the cooperative of Smith Island women who pick crabs has dropped, said one of its founders, Janice Marshall, 63.
"I've wondered for years whether mine would be the last generation really living and growing up here," says Marshall (who is Duke Marshall's aunt). "The good news is we [the island] have four children [living] here now and one on the way."
Members of the crab-picking cooperative say it's hard to take on new customers because they can't supply enough crab meat to expand their business. The handful of island women continue picking the fluffy steamed meat from crabs caught by their husbands, but now there's also a gift shop, including CDs of them singing gospel music while they work.
The women are hoping to qualify for state grants that will help them add commercial ovens to bake island cakes in the winter months. Others have already modified home kitchens for baking and shipping cakes around the country.
Ferry captain Larry Laird has run the 42-foot Jayson II for more than 20 years, hauling the mail, visitors and his mainstay - islanders who must travel to the mainland for everything from health care to grocery shopping to entertainment.
"I have been getting some kayakers who'll come over and go camping overnight," said Laird. "The kayakers are different tourists. They want to get out there, not just walk and have a good island meal."
There's a kayak trail connecting the island's three small towns, and there are plans for a walking trail that will complement four B&Bs.
Despite the popularity of kayaking, paddlers must bring their own boats. Two of the B&Bs lend them to guests, but there is no rental service on the island.
There are even some island women who'll teach visitors how to bake each thin layer of a Smith Island cake. They'll do the same sort of thing in crab cake classes taught by Smith's best cooks.
The layer cakes are selling like crazy at a bakery in Salisbury. A new bakery, the Smith Island Cake Co., just opened in a former corner grocery in Ewell. You can also get the cakes at the little general store in Tylerton.
No one is imagining Smith without watermen as the backbone and symbol of island culture, but supporters say the new ventures could broaden the economic base and keep more islanders from having to leave home in search of jobs.
Duke Marshall, for instance, lives today in Pocomoke, where he owns an insurance company. But he never misses an opportunity to promote the place where he grew up. "I don't think watermen will ever disappear completely," he says, "but it's harder and harder to make a living."
chris.guy@baltsun.com
