The indigenous
Pamlico and their ancestors lived in the region for thousands of years. During the
Late Woodland period this tribe travelled the sound in
dugout canoes to trap and catch fish. The Pamlico often set up seasonal fishing camps for this purpose, retreating inland in winter weather. In 1586, the first European explorers sailed up the length of the Albemarle Sound. Half a century later, the first European settlers came south from
Virginia, establishing agricultural and trading colonies along the shores of the sound. The Albemarle Sound soon became an important thoroughfare: small trading ships called coasters carried cargo to and from other colonies, and larger merchant ships brought spices, silks, and sugars from the
West Indies in exchange for products such as
tobacco (a major export of the southern colonies),
herring, and lumber. In 1663,
King Charles II of England designated Albemarle Sound as part of the
Province of Carolina; it was assigned to eight
Lords Proprietors. One of these royal beneficiaries was
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, for whom the sound is named.
Ferries were a common method of transportation through the swamps surrounding the Albemarle Sound throughout the history of the region. One ferry that linked the towns of
Edenton and
Mackeys, North Carolina, continued in service from 1734 to 1938, when a bridge was built across the sound. Another, longer bridge of more than in length was built in 1990. Fishing was a major industry in the Albemarle Sound from the colonial period. In late spring, when the fish runs started, planters set enslaved workers to fish for
shad,
striped bass, and
herring. Fishermen sometimes had enormous nets, with some more than a mile (1600 m) long, and they were frequently staffed 24 hours a day. Herring was cut and salted for export to Europe, while shad was packed in ice and shipped up the
Chowan River to be sold in northern colonies. In more recent times of the twentieth century, regional striped bass tournaments attracted sports fishermen to the area. This was considered by many to be the greatest striped bass
fishery in the world. But
water pollution from industry, agriculture and other development in recent years has depleted the fisheries of the Albemarle Sound by seventy percent. ==See also==