About the Film
Filmed over seven years, Wild Caught follows four generations of fishing families in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, where knowledge of the sea and the skills of small-scale commercial fishing have been passed down for centuries. Filmmaker Matt Barr records their work, family life, close-knit community, and deep respect for the waters that sustain them.
Their traditional way of life is increasingly threatened by imported farm-raised shrimp, rising waterfront property values, coastal development, and complex fishing regulations. Facing an uncertain future, the fishermen organize to defend both their livelihoods and their community. Wild Caught is an intimate portrait of their knowledge, resilience, and determination to preserve a rapidly disappearing way of life.
