With the support of town officials and the sweat of African American seamen and factory workers, the Lewes menhaden enterprise thrived until it reached its height in the 1950s. Then with landings of more than 200 million pounds of fish annually, Lewes laid its claim as the number one fishing port in the country. When the fish businesses hired locals to provision the ships and mess halls and to furnish skilled labor for the repair and maintenance of the physical factory complex, the impact rippled through the Lewes economy. Today, the sign in a park on Savannah Road in Lewes summarizes it: "Where Menhaden was King. "