Saving Seafood

North Carolina begins work on artificial reef to restore Cape Fear oyster population

November 8, 2017 — Sport fishermen and oyster lovers rejoice – construction has begun on a one-acre artificial reef aimed at enhancing recreational fishing and providing a new, hospitable home for oysters in the Lower Cape Fear River.

The artificial reef, known formally as AR 491, is a project from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) in partnership with Carolina Beach State Park and the North Carolina Coastal Federation. The five-acre site is located in the Cape Fear River just off the banks of Carolina Beach State Park.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, workers deployed 700-tons of recycled crushed concrete into the river to create the new reef.

Read the full story at Port City Daily

 

Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Hearings on New Jersey Special Management Zones

October 31, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold three public hearings in November 2016 to gather public comments on a request by the State of New Jersey to designate 13 of its artificial reef sites located in federal waters as Special Management Zones (SMZ). The hearings will be held November 15-17, 2016. Written comments will be accepted until Friday, November 25, 2016, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Background

In November 2015, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) petitioned the Mid-Atlantic Council to designate 13 artificial reef sites as SMZs under provisions of Amendment 9 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The petition was based on the need to reduce gear conflicts between hook and line fishermen and fixed pot/trap gear at those sites. The SMZ designation could prohibit the use of any gear except hook and line and spear fishing (including the taking of fish by hand) within the 13 potential SMZ sites. The Council’s SMZ Monitoring Team (MT) evaluated the NJDEP request and recommended that the Council designate all 13 artificial reef sites as SMZs. The MT analysis indicated that commercial fishing vessels deploying pot/trap gear off the coast of New Jersey would likely face minimal to no losses in ex-vessel revenue if the artificial reefs are designated as SMZs. The Council is scheduled to review public comments and make a decision relative to NJ SMZ designation at its December 2016 meeting in Annapolis, MD.

Public Hearing Schedule

The dates and locations of the public hearings are as follows:

  • Tuesday November 15, 2016, 7:00-9:30 p.m., Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Blvd., Brooklyn NY 11235, Room M239 of the Marina and Academic Center (The Lighthouse).
  • Wednesday November 16, 2016, 7:00-10:00 p.m., Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 815 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755.
  • Thursday November 17, 2016, 7:00-10:00 p.m., Congress Hall, 200 Congress Place, Cape May, NJ 08204.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, 302-526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Written Comments

Written comments will be accepted until Friday, November 25, 2016, 11:59 p.m. and may be sent by any of the following methods:

  • Mail to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE, 19901 (include “NJ SMZ Request” on envelope);
  • Fax to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at fax number 302-674-5399 (include “NJ SMZ Request” in the subject line); or
  • Email to Rich Seagraves at rseagraves@mafmc.org (include “NJ SMZ Request” in the subject line).

Contact

For more information, contact Rich Seagraves, Senior Scientist, at rseagraves@mafmc.org.

 

Delaware might scuttle ferry for artificial fishing reef

LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A Cape May-Lewes Ferry boat that has been for sale for four years likely will be scuttled as a new artificial reef after failing to draw interest on the commercial market.

The MV Twin Capes has been moored at the Delaware River & Bay Authority’s docks in Lower Township since it was gradually taken out of service about two years ago.

The ferryboat is bigger, heavier and more nicely appointed than the other three in the fleet. It has a full restaurant, a food court and two plush bars that were added as part of a $27 million renovation in 1996.

But the bigger boat costs more to operate, DRBA spokesman James Salmon said. It requires a bigger crew (17 people instead of 12) and uses more fuel than the other three ferries with every 17-mile crossing over the Delaware Bay.

The DRBA has a tentative agreement to sell the ferry for $250,000 to Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources for use as an artificial ocean reef.

Delaware is partnering with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which has decades of experience sinking barges, boats and construction material to create offshore habitat for fish.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

NEW JERSEY: Trap survey underway on two reefs

April 22, 2016 — Three recreational and commercially important species are the subject of a trap survey that is being conducted on the artificial reefs now through November.

The state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and researchers from Rutgers University have deployed a series of fish traps on two reefs to focus on characterizing the seasonal and spatial changes in reef community composition and relative abundance of structure-associated species.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

Sunken sanctuary: Former Omega Protein WWII-era vessel becomes artificial reef

December 15, 2015 — For much of the last decade, the MV Shearwater caught menhaden by the ton but in its new life, as part of the Del-Jersey-Land reef 26-miles off the coast, it will become a fish habitat and diving destination in the state’s artificial reef program.

The ship didn’t go easy into the deep last week. The stern sank first and the ship started to turn leaving just the bow out of the water. It took about six hours to fully sink after the seacocks opened and the interior compartments flooded.

The 176-foot-long vessel went down in 120 feet of water. It lays about one-half nautical mile from the 568-foot long USS Arthur W. Radford, a former Navy destroyer. The Radford was sunk at the artificial reef site in 2011 and has become a popular destination for divers and anglers.

“About three weeks ago, a state-record bluefish was caught there,” said Jeff Tinsman, the state artificial reef coordinator.

“These old freighters make ideal reefs because of the voids and cavities in them – they’re really the perfect sanctuary for fish,” Tinsman said. “But not long after this ship sinks, the fish will start to come ‘outside’ it to feed. Within a few weeks, blue mussels, sponges, barnacles and soft corals will attach themselves to the structure, and in about a year, the reef will be fully productive, for fish and fishermen alike.”

Read the full story at Delaware Online

ACFHP Extends Deadline for Proposals to Study and/or Restore Black Sea Bass Habitat along the Mid-Atlantic

December 7, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is seeking research and/or restoration proposals to address black sea bass habitat issues in the Mid-Atlantic region (from Long Island Sound to Cape Hatteras), with an emphasis on the use of natural and/or artificial reefs and their ability to maintain and enhance fishery productivity. Projects can range from 12 – 24 months in length, and should include guaranteed monitoring for at least three years. The maximum award for an individual project is $225,000, and multiple highly ranked projects will be considered if the amount requested totals less than the $225,000 in available funds. All proposed artificial reef construction projects must be developed in coordination with the artificial reef manager in their respective state (contact information listed in the Request for Proposals) to be eligible for funding.

Proposals are due by February 1, 2016 at midnight. The full Request for Proposals is available here: Black Sea Bass Habitat RFP. For questions or to submit a proposal, please email Lisa Havel, ACFHP Coordinator, at LHavel@asmfc.org.

NEW JERSEY: Black sea bass: We’ll make more

December 8, 2015 — New Jersey is very interested in a new federal grant program designed to create more black sea bass habitat and also to answer scientific questions about what this particular fish needs to thrive in mid-Atlantic waters.

Black sea bass are both a popular fish for anglers in New Jersey and an important catch for commercial fishermen. For a type of fish that relies on underwater structure, which ran range from a shipwreck to a natural rocky outcrop, a key question is whether building artificial reefs creates new black sea bass or simply concentrates ones already in the ocean.

“That would be a great question to ask. We’d absolutely be interested in that,” said Lisa Havel, a coordinator for the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership or ACFHP.

The partnership, through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, is offering grants of up to $225,000 for projects that restore black sea bass habitat or qualify as research projects to learn more about the habitat needs of a fairly strange fish species, known for, among other things, the ability to change sexes (hermaphrodite transition) as needed.

The restoration or research proposals are for a region that runs from Long Island Sound to Cape Hatteras. While black sea bass range from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, there is a distinct population in the Mid-Atlantic region the study wants to address.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

 

ACFHP Releases Request for Proposals to Study and/or Restore Black Sea Bass Habitat

December 7, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is seeking research and/or restoration proposals to address black sea bass habitat issues in the Mid-Atlantic region (from Long Island Sound to Cape Hatteras), with an emphasis on the use of natural and/or artificial reefs and their ability to maintain and enhance fishery productivity. Projects can range from 12 – 24 months in length, and should include guaranteed monitoring for at least three years. The maximum award for an individual project is $225,000, and multiple highly ranked projects will be considered if the amount requested totals less than the $225,000 in available funds. All proposed artificial reef construction projects must be developed in coordination with the artificial reef manager in their respective state (contact information listed in the Request for Proposals) to be eligible for funding.

Proposals are due by January 15, 2016 at midnight. The full Request for Proposals is available here: Black Sea Bass Habitat RFP. For questions or to submit a proposal, please email Lisa Havel, ACFHP Coordinator, at LHavel@asmfc.org.