"Some marine ecosystems could soon be unrecognizable, according to new research."
"Working from a dock on St. Helena Island, S.C., on a sweltering day this summer, Ed Atkins pulled in a five-foot cast net from the water and dumped out a few glossy white shrimp from the salt marsh.
Mr. Atkins, a Gullah Geechee fisherman, sells live bait to anglers in a shop his parents opened in 1957. “When they passed, they made sure I tapped into it and keep it going,” he said. “I’ve been doing it myself now for 40 years.”
These marshes, which underpin Mr. Atkins’s way of life, are where the line between land and sea blurs. They provide a crucial nursery habitat for many marine species, including commercial and recreational fisheries."
Delger Erdenesanaa reports for the New York Times September 4, 2025, with graphics by Mira Rojanasakul, and photographs and video by Madeline Gray. This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network.
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