On July 2 and July 13, 2018, McCulley Marine Services, Inc. deployed more than 1,000 tons of diverse concrete structures in 120-foot depth on the County’s permitted Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club artificial reef site. Currents at the planned 170-foot depth were too fast to safely deploy. The deployments were assisted by C&T Marine Services to create a reef with at least 14 feet of profile and were funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Artificial Reef Program.
Deployment in the 120-foot depth range was determined an acceptable compromise because it could still provide recreational fishing and diving opportunities while still providing habitat for fish species (i.e. adult red snapper, amberjack, gag, yellowtail snapper, and scamp, plus juveniles of species like snowy grouper and black seabass seen near these depths.
A wide variety of concrete objects were used, including concrete railroad ties, concrete culverts, bridge pile cutoffs, bridge slab. The diversity of materials used will create a diversity of habitat types, such as cryptic space, cavern, moderate profile, and high surface area/ledge habitat. Numerous ecological niches on this reef will provide habitat for many fish species, leading to increases in ecological stability. In the last 13 years, monitoring on St. Lucie County artificial reefs has shown these reefs being utilized by at least 125 species of fish, including 24 species on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper – Grouper Complex (SGC). The SGC contains 59 species of fish regularly found on hard bottom habitats. Forty-seven (47) of these species are known to inhabit Treasure Coast Waters. Juvenile fishes comprised 14 of the 24 SGC species documented on St. Lucie County artificial reefs, demonstrating these reefs are providing essential fish habitat that might be used to help manage fish stocks in the future.
In addition to the secondary concrete deployments, the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program continues to work on cleaning the 180-foot freighter, Voici Bernadette. In phase one of the cleanup, MMPS Environmental, Inc., with the help of volunteers, started clearing the wheelhouse and removing memorabilia from the freighter. These items, including the ship’s wheel and pedestal, ship’s binnacle, nautical charts, and more, will be auctioned by the nonprofit MMPS Environmental at future events to help pay for the deployment of the vessel. For further information about the auction or to get a complete list of items to be auctioned contact Kathy Green, Director of Outreach for MMPS Environmental at littlekgreen@yahoo.com.
Phase two of the cleanup commenced with McCulley Marine Services’ environmental contractor, Marine Environmental Transport, LLC, inspecting the vessel on July 9 to locate fuel, hydraulic fluid, coolant, and other liquids that would pollute the ocean if not removed or cleaned properly.
On July 11, McCulley Marine Services began phase three of the cleanup by towing the Voici Bernadette to the Port of Fort Pierce where the heavy lifting will occur. Cargo hold covers were lifted off the vessel for greater access to fish and to divers; doors will either be removed or welded open to reduce diving hazards. A dumpster will be lifted into the cargo hold and floatables (i.e. wood, plastics) and other debris will be loaded inside for easy removal.
Engine lines with pollutants will be removed. On July 12, Marine Environmental drained the first fuel tank. After fuel lines are purged, a bulkhead will be removed to allow the engine and other heavy equipment to be moved forward where they will be lifted out of the freighter with a crane.
This project has been supported by conservation and fishing groups including the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida, Florida Sportsman, Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club, Snook and Gamefish Foundation, and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club.
The first fundraiser for deploying this vessel, Wes’ Backyard BBQ Battle of the Bands was held by MMPS’ volunteers Christa Stone, Katrina Collins, and Kathy Green on July 14 in Vero Beach but results from this event were not available by article submission deadline. Other events surrounding the sinking of the Bernadette have been planned. To learn about other events scheduled to benefit the Voici Bernadette, contact either Katrina Collins, Executive Director of MMPS Environmental at Katrina_MMPS@comcast.net, Christa Stone, Director of Public Relations for MMPS Environmental at Christa@mytcmedia.com, or Kathy Green, Director of Outreach.
For more information on the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program or the deployment of the Voici Bernadette, contact Jim Oppenborn, St. Lucie County Coastal Resources Coordinator at oppenbornj@stlucieco.org or (772) 462-1713.
