Artificial Reefs

Contents

Throughout this website, you have probably found many references to artificial reefs. An artificial reef is any man-made object placed in the sea as a habitat for marine organisms. Sea life is drawn like a magnet to any large object in the otherwise featureless bottom sand. Almost anything will do, but objects that can withstand the corrosive effects of salt water are best.

The objective of artificial reefs is to create hard structure habitat for mussels, Sea Bass, Blackfish, Porgy, lobster and many other species of marine life. Once fish and shellfish establish themselves in their new homes - and it doesn't take long - the reefs produce excellent catches of fish for anglers and provide underwater attractions for scuba divers.

All artificial reef activities are controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers, which issues permits for specified materials to be sunk only in specified locations, to avoid creating hazards to navigation. Once a permit for an area is issued, the state may build the reef as it sees fit with little more involvement from the ACOE. Permits must be renewed periodically. The chart above indicates permitted areas in three states, as well as the main approaches to New York harbor. One of the difficulties in selecting a location for a reef is obvious - any place inside the heavily-trafficked shipping lanes is out of the question.

Everyone benefits from artificial reefs

 

Artificial Reefs - Contents

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New Jersey New Jersey Artificial Reefs   Sandy Hook Sea Girt Shark River Axel Carlson Barnegat Light Garden State North Garden State South Little Egg Atlantic City Great Egg Ocean City Wildwood Cape May Deepwater Townsend's Inlet   AKA-54 USS Algol APL-31 "Jack's Spot" Blue Crown Brightliner Subway Cars YOG-58 Captain Bart Capt Bill "Veronica M" Coast Guard Reefs Coney Island Cranford Dredge Rock AH Dumont DVD barge Dykes Early Reefs Elizabeth (Hooters) Hail Mary II YO-153 "Helis" Landing Craft AKL-? Pauline Marie Rockland County / barge Spartan PATH Subway Cars Redbird Subway Cars spaghetti pile Travis Tug Twin Brothers Venturo Tug

New York Long Island Artificial Reefs   Atlantic Beach Fishing Line Hempstead Fire Island Moriches 12-Mile Shinnecock Other Delaware "Redbird Reef" #11 DelJerseyLand Reef   Dutch Springs Quarry   New Reef Off Asbury Park Proposed News, Reports, & Announcements Artificial Reefs Miscellaneous Chronology & Pre-History Overview Materials Deployments References   Bill Figley - NJ's Artificial Reef Guy   NJ Artificial Reef Plan 2005 (PDF)

Biology & Ecology Artificial Reef Ecology  Contamination Risks of Artificial Reefs and Shipwrecks  Understanding the Potential Economic Impacts of Sinking Ships for Scuba Recreation Technical Papers Marine Life Colonization of Experimental Reef Habitat   Underwater counts of fish and lobster inhabiting Reef Ball habitats on New Jersey ocean reef sites Tagging Study Of Black Sea Bass In New Jersey Ocean Waters   Survey of New Jersey's Recreational Wreck / Artificial Reef Fisheries, 2000 Micro-Movements of Black Sea Bass on the Atlantic City Reef Site The Importance of Artificial Reef Epifauna to Black Sea Bass Diets Use of Artificial Reefs by Commercial Fish and Lobster Potters, 1995 ASMFC Coastal Artificial Reef Planning Guide, 1998 Guidelines for Marine Artificial Reef Materials, 1997 New Jersey Saltwater Fishing Guide New Jersey Artificial Reef News 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 ... 1995 (PDF) New Jersey Artificial Reef Deployments

 

Artificial Reefs - Links

New Jersey

• Artificial Reef Program 
• Department of Environmental Protection
• Division of Fish and Wildlife
• Bureau of Marine Fisheries

New York

• Artificial Reef Program 
• Department of Environmental Conservation

Delaware

• Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control  (DNREC)

Federal

• Army Corps of Engineers
• Environmental Protection Agency