The Lower Wharf connected to Fontaine Fisheries, one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in Rapture. However, it also served as the secret epicenter of mobster Frank Fontaine's smuggling empire. When the Rapture Port Authority failed to uncover the smuggling ring, Andrew Ryan brought in Chief of Security Sullivan and Ryan Security to put an end to the illicit operation. Their investigation seriously impacted work on the wharf and around the port, but in the end proved effective in officially linking Fontaine with the operation. However, all work on the wharf would come to an end when civil war broke out and everyday life in the city came to a screeching halt.