Artificial Reefs
Susan Rose Sunk in February
The Susan Rose was re-sunk as an artificial reef in February. At present there still has been no public announcement. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire:
If you would like to visit this or any other of New Jersey's new unpublished reefs, contact New Jersey Artificial Reef Coordinator Peter Clarke at Mad Hatter Charters in Neptune City.
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, tugboat, US Navy
- Specs:
- ( 100 ft ) 260 LDT
- Sponsor:
- Abyss Dive Club
- Sunk:
- Thursday Sept 25, 2003 - Deepwater Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 39°57.984' -74°10.771'
- Depth:
More: Diver's Abyss YTM-? ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, barge, tank
- Specs:
- ( 178 x 38 ft )
- Sponsor:
- GPPCBA, Clean Water of New York
- Sunk:
- Tuesday October 30, 2001 - Axel Carlson Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 40°03.840' -73°59.580'
More: Jim Lynch E-13 ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat
- Name:
- An Indian tribe of south and central Mississippi, later forcibly moved to the Oklahoma territory.
- Built:
- 1966, Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Brooklyn NY USA
- Specs:
- ( 90 x 24 ft ) 84 gross tons
- Sponsor:
- Spentonbush Red Star Company, Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club, Fish America, Atlantic County Reef Society
- Sunk:
- Tuesday April 7, 1991 - Garden State North Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 39°37.894' -74°01.284'
- Depth:
- 75 ft
More: Choctaw ...
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.
