Type in the coordinates; a new artificial reef will be deployed off St. George Island and Apalachicola later this summer.
Franklin County commissioners recently awarded the contract to construct and deploy 35 offshore artificial reef modules within a site named the Buddy Ward Memorial Artificial Reef in memory of longtime seafood industry advocate and businessman Olan “Buddy” Ward.
The Ward memorial site is located within state waters and in sight of St George Island, approximately 8 nautical miles offshore of Apalachicola in about 40 feet of water. The project is expected to be complete by summer.
The Ward reef joins more than 60 artificial reefs already located offshore from the Franklin County shoreline. These fish hotels stretch from Alligator Point to Apalachicola and are responsible for providing valuable habitat for hundreds of fish species that migrate through the region. Once deployed, the Ward reef GPS coordinates will be available online, along with other existing reef coordinates, through the AARA website www.apalachicolareef.org.
For more information on fishing Franklin County, visit Floridasforgottencoast.com.