Aiken Standard in Aiken, South Carolina

Lowcountry coast loses wild edge as boats and people flood sea

In the 1990s the coast transformed from remote wildlands to busy maritime districts as container ships fishing boats and tourist ventures multiply. Shrimpers face higher fuel costs tighter markets and foreign competition while regulators expand offshore access and sustain many species under limits. Local figures like Ed Ravenel and Joe Brooks recall a vanished era of vast beaches and hunting grounds.