Artificial Reefs
The pink and white areas are shipping lanes. 'Natural' shipwrecks are depicted with a wreck symbol.
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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. Sealife 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 saltwater 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.
Sinking the ‘Captain Bart’
New Jersey Artificial Reef Sites
- Atlantic City Reef ...
- Axel Carlson Reef ...
- Barnegat Light Reef ...
- Cape May Reef ...
- Deepwater Reef ...
- Delaware Bay Reef
- Garden State N Reef ...
- Garden State S Reef ...
- Great Egg Reef ...
- Little Egg Reef ...
- Manasquan Reef ...
- Ocean City Reef ...
- Sandy Hook Reef ...
- Sea Girt Reef ...
- Shark River Reef ...
- Townsend's Inlet Reef ...
- Wildwood Reef ...
New York Artificial Reef Sites
- Atlantic Beach Reef ...
- Fire Island Reef ...
- Hempstead Reef ...
- Huntington Reef
- Kismet Reef ...
- Matinecock Reef ...
- Mattituck Reef ...
- McAllister Reef ...
- Moriches Reef ...
- Port Jefferson Reef ...
- Rockaway Reef ...
- Shinnecock Reef ...
- Sixteen Fathom Reef
- Smithtown Reef ...
- Twelve-Mile Reef ...
- Yellowbar Reef ...
Delaware Artificial Reef Sites
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. (Update: used to be out of the question.)
Now with GPS numbers!
Artificial Reef Activity by State
| State ( N to S ) | Population ( 2001 est. ) | Ocean Coastline | # Vessels ( 2005 ) |
| New England | no significant artificial reef building activity | ||
| New York | 19.0 million | 127 miles | ~ 65 |
| New Jersey | 8.5 million | 130 miles | 131 |
| Delaware | 0.8 million | 28 miles | ~ 3? |
| Maryland | 5.4 million | 31 miles | ~ 3? |
| Virginia | 7.2 million | 112 miles | ~ 12 |
| North Carolina | 8.2 million | 301 miles | ~ 35 |
| South Carolina | 4.0 million | 187 miles | ~ 100 |
| Georgia | 8.4 million | 100 miles | ~ 41 |
| Florida (including Gulf) | 16.4 million | 1350 miles | ~ 380 |
| California | 34.5 million | 840 miles | < 10 |
A Guide to Fishing & Diving New Jersey Reefs
NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife, 3rd edition
Includes GPS numbers for all reef sites.
Download your copy of the 3rd edition here. This invaluable book has been out of print for years.
- Type:
- artificial reef, sailboat, USA
- built:
- Specs:
- ( 43 ft )
- Sunk:
- Monday Nov 20, 2000 - McAllister Artificial Reef
- Depth:
- GPS:
- 40°32.147' -73°39.354'
More: Beyond ...
- Type:
- ~100 "Brightliner" subway cars - NYC Subway system
- Built:
- 1963-1964 - Budd Company - Model R32 # 3350-3949
1966-1967 - St. Louis Car - Model R38 # 3950-4149
1967-1969 - St. Louis Car - Model R40 # 4150-4349
1969-1970 - St. Louis Car - Model R42 # 4550-4949 - Specs:
- ( 60 x 10 ft ) 10 tons ( all, typical, body only )
- Sunk:
- 44 cars were sunk on Atlantic City Reef on April 3, 2008
more in Cape May reef and Delaware reefs - Sponsor:
- New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( MTA )
- GPS:
- too many to list, and all gone anyway
- Depth:
- Depths vary by location
More: Brightliner Subway Cars ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, barge
- Specs:
- ( 70 x 28 ft )
- Sponsor:
- Creedon Tug & Barge Works, Friends of Michael DePalma, GDF, Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association
- Sunk:
- Tuesday February 27, 1996 - Wildwood Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 38°56.970' -74°41.337'
More: Michael DePalma ...
I finally added two "new" artificial reefs, the Carrabassett on the Axel Carlson Reef and the New England Coast on the Shark River Reef. I have been waiting patiently for the numbers to be released, and was just informed that these two sites are undergoing "a period of successional development and monitoring" before publication. These studies were never announced at the time, in fact the New England Coast was kept out of the newspapers entirely, obviously so the science would not be tainted by the public. I imagine this study is a lot like this one, conducted by NJDEP fisheries biologists Jennifer Resciniti and Bill Figley over the course of 8 years, published in 2003.
More: "New" Artificial Reefs ...
Editor's Note:
The New Jersey fishing community owes a world of gratitude to Bill Figley for his tireless service on behalf of recreational angling in the state. Considered the patriarch of the artificial reef program, his model of excellence created over two decades in New Jersey has since been emulated by other states along the East Coast.
