NC's New Waterfront

A story in today's issue of The News & Observer of Raleigh describes the impact that rapid growth along North Carolina's inland coast is having on the state's commercial seafood industry.

Already under intense pressure from foreign importers, North Carolina's commercial fishermen have seen their business problems compounded by the development boom occurring along the state's 3,000-plus miles of interior coastline. Development of high-end residential properties has driven up land costs, limited harbor access, led mainland processing facilities that buy catches to close and raised environmental concerns. While development also brings many benefits to communities, it threatens a traditional industry and way of life in coastal communities like Oriental, N.C.

This article is part of The News & Observer's special series on the development of North Carolina's inland coast. Click here to access all of the articles.