Cape May Artificial Reef

Cape May Artificial Reef

8.5 Nautical Miles off Cape May, 5.34 sq miles
Depth: 50-75 ft [download]

Cape May reef also contains large numbers of tire units and Army tanks (not shown) concentrated in the center area that appears here to be empty. This reef also received 50 redbird subways cars, which are not plotted. The Onondaga drifted slightly out of the reef boundaries, and the state does not list it, but it is there.




Type:
artificial reef, trawler, USA
Built:
1968, Marine Builders, Mobile Alabama, USA as Brothers in Law
Specs:
( 90 x 20 ft ) 135 gross tons
Sponsor:
South Jersey Artificial Reef Association
Sunk:
Friday August 11, 2023 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:
38°50.694' -74°42.715'
Depth:
60 ft




fish trap
A fixed fish trap. The curtain nets stretch from surface to bottom, and the fish are funneled into holding areas.

Fish traps are only practical in shallow water. They have the advantage of keeping both the targeted catch and the bycatch alive ( unless a shark gets in ! ) You can still see a few fish traps in use in Raritan Bay, where they are built around fixed pilings rather than buoys and anchors as shown here. In years past, shore-based trawling or "haul seining" was also practiced in the bay, where a net would be deployed off the beach by a small boat, and drawn in by donkeys or trucks.