Photo: Seaview Pier, North Topsail Beach
Past Economics and the Piers
In the beginning, the economic well-being of Topsail Island was dependent upon the availability of salt (Stallman, 1996). The salt from the ocean was needed in order for preservatives for fish and meats (Topsail Island Historical Society, 2009). After salt, fishing became a means for income for the island. Fisherman would come to the island in order to catch different types of fish or shrimp (Stallman, 1996). This led to the development of the several piers that were built up and down the island. All throughout, there have been a total of nine piers built on the island (McAllister, 2006). However, today there are only three piers still in existence: Seaview Pier in North Topsail Beach, Surf City Pier in Surf City, and Jolly Ridge Pier in Topsail Beach (McAllister, 2006). Fishing is seen as an activity for all ages, but for many it is seen as an income (Stallman, 1996). The island is and has always been known for a fishing town; therefore a source of income is through fishing and the piers that have developed because of it.
Current Economics
Currently, tourism is the main source of income for the island which has been occurring within the past few years (McAllister, 2006). People from all over the country come to visit the island during the summer season (May through September). They bring their families to either the condominiums found on North Topsail or they will rent out many of the houses found all over the island. Due to the large increase of tourism on the island, there have been multiple restaurants and shops built on the island. However, there is an attraction that has brought several people to the island recently, which is the Karen Beasley’s Sea Turtle Hospital and Recreation Center (Beasley, 2012; Stallman, 1996). This center houses loggerhead turtles that are injured and allow them to recover before being released back into the ocean (Beasley 2012; Stallman, 1996). Also, this center is in charge of the turtle nests that are found up and down the island (Beasley, 20112; Stallman, 1996). Even though the Sea Turtle Hospital is staffed completely by volunteers and survives off of donations, this tourist attraction brings in a lot of income to the island (Beasley, 2012; Topsail Island Historical Society, 2009).