A new project may be in the works for Oregon Inlet.
A permit for construction of a new artificial reef off Oregon Inlet could be approved within months, and Outer Banks anglers are happy to hear it.
According to a report from the Coastal Review online, the project has been almost three years in the making since the nonprofit Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee formed to apply for funding from the Division of Marine Fisheries. With an $887,000 grant, the stage is set for a proposed two-year project to construct a reef south of the Oregon Inlet Sea Buoy.
The project is being funded primarily through the state’s Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grants Program. The plan calls for a 100- to 140-foot vessel as well as 8,000 tons of concrete pipes to be sunk within state waters less than 10 miles south of Oregon Inlet.
Recreational anglers and charter captains will reap the benefits of enhanced habitat for decades to come.