[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nother year of artificial reefing in St. Lucie County is winding down. This summer’s construction activity resulted in another 1,500-ton secondary concrete reef being deployed 400 feet west of the 1,500-ton reef deployed in 2014. As the year winds down the County is again collecting another 1,000 tons of secondary concrete (i.e. culverts, light poles, bridge slab, etc.) for another Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) funded reef to be placed near the first two reefs. The FWC has also granted St. Lucie County funds to deploy 12 limestone special artificial reef modules between the three secondary concrete reefs. Over the last ten years, the FWC has granted St. Lucie County more than $600,000 to restart its program, resulting in 27 new recreational destinations for watermen.
In addition to the recreational component artificial reefs provide, artificial reefs are being used to help manage fish stocks. Many fish species travel long distances during their life history, (especially species like gag, which settle in seagrass beds as larvae and then make their way to deeper waters offshore as they develop into adults [undergo ontogenesis]). In order to be useful in managing fish stocks, we must provide many different habitat types (big and small reefs, high and low profile, oyster reefs, seagrasses, water column, etc.) in as many different locations and depths as possible.
The County is working on another FWC grant application to deploy another 13 modules on the North County nearshore site. These modules will be deployed near existing artificial reefs and will be used to:
- Increase the total area available for recreational watermen.
- Increase tourism benefits of the County’s artificial reef system.
- Compare fish assemblages between modules and neighboring larger secondary concrete reefs.
- Create sand/module/secondary concrete ecotones which may help to diversify the recreational opportunities of the reef while adding increasing the foraging habitat available to the reef inhabitants.
Limestone special modules provide excellent habitat and also can be deployed in memory of loved ones, businesses, schools, organizations, etc. by embedding a plaque in the module. The County would like to create reefs constructed solely of memorial modules. These modules are known to be stable in all depths, ranging from 20 feet to 200 feet. If there is interest, the County would like to place memorial reefs at a number of different depths (i.e. 30 feet, 60 feet, 90 feet).
Modules were designed in Orange Beach, Alabama by Walter Marine and have been licensed for local manufacture to artificial reef contractor McCulley Marine Services. The modules provide habitat for both adult and juvenile fish, creating local recreational
opportunities and also areas for smaller fish to congregate before recruiting to larger secondary concrete reefs as adults.
In addition to secondary concrete reefs and module reefs, St. Lucie County is looking to diversify recreational opportunities and habitat value by deploying large steel vessels on its artificial reef sites. Barges are sometimes donated on which large amounts of concrete are then deployed. Two such barges (Sterling Equipment barge, DMC barge) have made excellent artificial reefs (Civic Center reef, FishAmerica Foundation reef) when combined with concrete.
For more information on the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program or the memorial module program, please contact Jim Oppenborn, St. Lucie County Coastal Resources Supervisor at oppenbornj@stlucieco.org or (772)462-1713.
