Abstract:
In 1990, twenty-five public fishing piers, approximately one-fourth of all the fishing piers on the Atlantic Coast, jutted out from the state's coastline from Kitty Hawk to Sunset Beach. Kure Beach Pier, which open in 1923, was the first, and it has remained in the Kure family's possession for the past eighty-three years. By May 1, 2006, ten of the twenty-five had closed forever. Hurricanes caused the loss of some piers, but accelerated development on the barrier islands, especially Bogue Banks, is the main reason for closing piers. The price of beachfront property is soaring, and pier owners are selling to the developers. Soon the state's fishing piers and the culture they engendered will be gone forever.