Post on 13-Sep-2018
East Central Florida Region Matt Culver, Brevard County James Gray, Indian River County Jim Oppenbourn, St. Lucie County Kathy Fitzpatrick, Martin County
East Central Region Facts
Surrounded by 5 Tidal Inlets
Is home to the Indian River Lagoon -156 mile Estuarine habitat to hundreds of fish and animal species
Includes natural offshore Hardbottom
biological communities
Artificial Reef Deployments 2010-2014
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Brevard Indian River St. Lucie Martin
0 2 7 17
0 850
7,500
9,750
0 0 0 3
To
tal
To
ns
County
Reefs Total Tons Vessels
Total Regional Reef Construction 2010 - 2014
Between 2010 and 2014
18,100 tons deployed; 3 vessels sunk
26 New Artificial Reefs Created
26 reefs created
3 vessels sunk
Natural Ecosystem – AR Project Areas Range: Extends from the Estuary to 16 NM
offshore
Depth: 20 ft. up to 200 ft. of water
Ocean Bottom: Flat barren sandy bottom devoid of natural Hardbottom outcroppings; adjacent to Oculina Banks HAPC and wide Continental Shelf
Biotic Communities: Widely scattered echinoderms and mollusks common to FL
Interaction of Artificial Reefs in Ecosystem
Estuarine Reefs: improve water quality,
provide fish habitat, and protect shoreline
Deep Water Reefs: provide hard relief and
structure for attachment and shelter – creating the basis for reef ecosystems
Artificial Reefs enhance Ecosystems
Stakeholders & Primary Users Stakeholders:
Local Governments FWCC, Division of Marine Fisheries Management Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of
Central Florida, Florida Tech, etc. Local Fishing Associations
Primary Users: Local Residents/Businesses Anglers Divers
Artificial Reef Objectives Reefs are built for several different goals:
Habitat and Recreational enhancement
Fisheries conservation Economic Stimulus Educational Benefits Effective way to recycle
unusable concrete and vessels
Reef Design & Construction Considerations Availability of Materials
Stakeholder Input Reef Accessibly
Reef Relief
- High Relief created for recreational fishing
- Low Relief created for habitat enhancement
Reef Monitoring & Evaluation
Estuarine Reefs: regular monitoring for oyster settlement, health and growth as well as cataloguing the associated species.
Deep Water Reefs: regular monitoring for fish assemblages, benthic communities…sponges, corals, algae, etc. and reef settlement.
Vessel Reefs: regular monitoring for fish assemblages, movement,
structural integrity, and settlement.
Reef Success and Performance: Determined by a combination of survey results, public feedback, anecdotal reports from fisherman, and data from annual fishing tournaments.
Are Reefs Meeting Objectives? Habitat and Recreational enhancement – YES!
Fisheries conservation – YES!
Economic Stimulus – YES!
Educational Benefits – YES!
Effective way to recycle unusable concrete and vessels – YES!
Reef Objective Measurement of Success
In Indian River County, a new local non-profit organization – Atlantic Reef and Marine Conservation Society, Inc. was created to expand the artificial reef program.
In St. Lucie County, a local non-profit organization – Sea-life Habitat Improvement Project, Inc. was created to help Treasure Coast artificial reef programs find and deploy large naval vessels.
In Martin County, a local non-profit organization – MCAC Reef
Fund, contributes directly to the reef program.
Other Issues, Factors & Considerations Availability of: Funding Materials Suitable For Reef Construction Material Staging Areas Permitted Reef Sites Local Marine Contractors
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Challenges: Development of Partnerships with material suppliers/donators Time
Lessons Learned: Utilize the Community Promote reef program through presentations and press releases Engage other County departments in your reef programs Ex. Indian River County’s Road and Bridge Dept. is supplying, receiving, and storing reef materials for future deployments Develop a contract technical specification for donation of reef materials Encourage local stakeholders and reef users to become involved with
your reef programs Invite local FWCC Law Enforcement to reef deployments
Reef Management Next 5 years Brevard: Develop a series of patch reefs in the newly reauthorized
Permit site Indian River: Continue to construct/monitor reefs in offshore site; Permit
new reef sites 5-7 miles south 4 miles east of Sebastian Inlet; develop estuarine habitat
St. Lucie: Continue to construct/monitor reefs Martin: Continue to construct/monitor reefs