Coastal Carolina’s Blue Economy

by Rachel O’Connor

The Blue Economy comprises the businesses, technologies and activities that depend on the use of coastal resources for economic growth.

Increasingly, attention is being paid to the importance of sustainability in the Blue Economy, including environmental sustainability and environmental justice to build resilient communities.

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We don’t often pause to appreciate how much we depend on the blue economy in so many aspects of our daily life. We count on ocean-based businesses for everything from food production to power generation to tourism and recreation. We depend on the ocean and its tributaries for the basics of food, drinking water and even oxygen. Increasing numbers of us want to live near the water, build our houses on the coast, dine with a waterfront view and enjoy the proverbial long walks on the beach.

Whether it be the blue crabs on your dinner table or a kayaking trip on the Intracoastal Waterway or even buying tropical fish from your local pet store, the blue economy is inextricably woven into our culture and way of life. With such a presence, it’s not difficult to imagine that North Carolina’s blue economy is currently estimated at over $2 billion dollars, although the estimations differ based on the definition of it. A relatively broad version—one we will use here—defines the blue economy as the coastal resources one uses and considers how consumption affects the coasts around us. The way we view using resources is starting to evolve from the more extractive mindset of earlier years, and increasingly we are prioritizing sustainability.

In the articles that follow, we will write about just three of the many aspects of the blue economy: historical shipbuilding, and modern-day efforts to protect our shoreline and curtail the proliferation of invasive species that challenge the balance of our ecosystem.

Whether or not we used the term “blue economy,” our history of using coastal resources is a long one. For instance, North Carolinians used to cut down trees in local ecosystems like the Green Swamp in Supply, North Carolina and use these materials to build ships. The ships went on to fish, fight our wars and act as vertebrae in the backbone of our economy. Meanwhile, military forts like Fort Fisher were built to protect parts of our coast while lighthouses guided sailors to a safe homecoming. World War II left wooden ships for military use behind, leading to the retired U.S.S. North Carolina battleship docked permanently within sight of the Wilmington riverfront, where it has become a major tourist attraction.

Today, tourism is a major industry in the Cape Fear area, and one component of this is the ability to tour historic areas such as Fort Fisher and learn about its role in the CIvil War. The area around Fort Fisher, based out of Camp Davis, was one of the only locations where female air pilots could start their careers during World War II. Because Fort Fisher is such a key location for important historic and commemorative events, preserving the integrity of its shoreline is important for local tourism economy.

Coasts change drastically in short periods of time, both naturally and as a result of human intervention. Take Fort Fisher for example, which used to be the mouth of the Wilmington Port. Since then, the entrance has shifted greatly—thirty miles upriver—as we have dredged the Cape Fear River to allow larger ships to travel closer to Wilmington proper. There were unintended consequences of dredging—the resulting saltwater intrusion killed cypress trees and helped squelch the rice-growing enterprises along the river. Unintended consequences of our efforts are something to mindful of, including efforts to stave off beach erosion.

Anyone who has built a home within sight of the beach is understandably concerned about erosion that narrows the beach or even undermines the house. Management companies spend millions to billions of dollars to maintain our coasts through beach renourishment and hard structures like jetties and seawalls only to have varying degrees of success. Placing sandbags and measuring where marsh plants grow to decide where homes can be built are all meant to stall the inevitable change in our coasts. We hope to prevent houses falling into the ocean, as has been an issue in the Outer Banks.

We humans are starting to embrace the idea of more natural ways to protect our coast from erosion and storm damage. Oyster reefs, a type of “soft structure,” play that role. At the same time, they clean our water and provide habitats to shrimp, crabs and fish, setting the stage for commercial fishing and hunting. Recognizing this, we are starting to initiate projects to shape the environment to encourage development of such reefs. Oysters work with other coastal ecosystems to provide habitat while also being a blue economy commodity in their own right.

Despite our awareness of their contribution to the blue economy, oysters are in danger, often from anthropogenicallycaused problems. Massive reductions in oyster reefs having taken place in the last century. Their struggle is intertwined with humanity, from overharvesting to disease to some well-intentioned but uninformed historical policies that have put our oysters at risk.

Left alone, the ecosystem maintains a balance. As we depend more and more on a global economy, shipping and receiving products across the globe, we inadvertently introduce species to areas that are not their native territory. Species hitchhike on ships, and can wind up in areas where they have no natural enemies to keep their population in check. We also delight in gathering species from elsewhere—whether plants for our garden or exotic fish for our aquariums. If not properly contained, these can escape and, if unchecked, become a threat to the biodiversity we depend on.

North Carolinians have a profound connection to the local blue economy, and its presence is felt everywhere. Local historians and researchers have been invaluable in educating the public about the blue economy, enlightening us about the importance of conserving our resources and protecting the blue economy. We are but temporary stewards, with the job of protecting our coast so our children and grandchildren might have the opportunity to love and appreciate our coasts. The importance of protecting our coasts will be a common theme throughout these articles regarding the blue economy.

Rachel O’Connor is obtaining her M.S. in Coastal and Ocean Policy at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Before that, she studied Marine Biology and International Studies at UNCW and participated in research in Benthic Ecology. Rachel loves everything oysters but is also interested in climate and national security. When not studying and working, Rachel gardens, explores and learns languages.