Beaches may be enjoyed by swimmers, sunbathers and tourists, but they are celebrated by beachfront property owners, surfers, marine biologists and anglers. These categories of enthusiasts appreciate different aspects of beaches – many times in opposing ways. However, all should appreciate the value in discussing optimal artificial mechanisms by which beaches are made or kept useful. I hold the unique hybrid perspective of that of a biologist and angler.

Biologists characterize beaches by their habitat function for coastal marine organisms such as birds, shellfish, crustaceans and meiofauna (tiny organisms that live between the sand grains).