James Gray, Indian River County

January 14, 2015

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

East Central Florida Region Matt Culver, Brevard County James Gray, Indian River County Jim Oppenbourn, St. Lucie County Kathy Fitzpatrick, Martin County

Special Thanks to FWCC and our Project Partners!!!

THANK YOU!