Reef Balls
By Bill Figley
Principal Fisheries Biologist
For the first time, early this summer 1999, New Jersey's Reef Program will place 600 designed fish habitats on its ocean artificial reefs. These designed reef habitats, called Reef Balls, were developed and patented by a company in Sarasota, FL. Reef Balls are made of concrete and resemble an igloo with lots of holes. The habitats are 4' in diameter, 3' high and weigh about 1,400 pounds. The many holes around the periphery provide access for fish, crabs, and lobsters to the hollow interior of the undersea homes.
Through a cooperative project with Southern State Correctional Facility, Reef Balls are fabricated by inmate laborers at the facility located in Leesburg, Cumberland County. Fiberglass molds are used to cast the poured concrete. Each week, 30 new fish homes are manufactured and stored at the prison facility. By June of this year, the first 600 habitats will be trucked to the shore and transported by barge to an offshore, ocean reef site. The costs of molds, concrete, and transportation are being funded through the Federal Aid to Sportfish Restoration Program, which provides funds generated from federal excise taxes collected on sales of sport fishing equipment to state agencies for fisheries management and enhancement programs.
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