Most authorities say that if the "Rocks" go, the Cape Fear River will start silting in again. Wilmington would have to close as a port to large ocean-going ships and would essentially become just a glorified marina.
There are some who say that this move is all a par of a conspiracy to turn Southport, at the mouth of the Cape Fear River into a "mega-port. Sen. Lee denies this.
Both Southport (Smithville during the Civil War) and Bald Head Island have also come out against the destruction of the "Rocks." The reopening of New Inlet would hurt the tourist-friendly part of Bald Head Island.
Environmentalists "who ought to be the notion's (tearing down the "Rocks") biggest cheerleaders," are against it. It would erase an estuary system that has built up along Zeke's Island. The lagoon that formed because of the "Rocks" is a mecca for fishermen.
The Wilmington Star-News closes the editorial with its recommendation:
"The sensible thing, then, would be to put the notion on hold and study it for a long, long, long time."
--Old B-Runner
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