Display cases filled with shark teeth and fossilized sand dollars sit next to racks of beach towels emblazoned with Gulf Shores logos. The air is perfumed with the distinctive scent of seashell ...

in length. Mozaffar Ahmed, who has been selling jhinuk (sea shell) ornaments around Laboni beach point since 1976, says, “At one time, the entire beach used to be covered in a mixture of green ...