Texas Artificial Reef Program2015 Year in Review

Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentArtificial Reef Program

J. Dale Shively15 March 2016

Texas Artificial Reef Program by the Numbers

Over 4,800 Acres Permitted

Reef Sites: 77 Permitted / 10 Pending

149 Platform R2R Donations to Date Plus 12 Other Components

30 Platform R2R Donations in Progress

$25.2 Million Generated through Rigs-to-Reefs Program

Other Donations:

22 Vessels - Barges, Shrimp Boat, 2 Tugs, Tanker, Ships

> 7,000 Fabricated Materials - Concrete Reef Balls and Pyramids, Culvert, Utility Poles, Fly-Ash Blocks, Hatchery Troughs, MARAD Steel Buoy

700 Quarry Rock

Rigs-to-Reefs Program

0

2

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19

90

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91

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92

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98

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99

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20

01

20

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15

Reefed Oil and Gas Platforms

Methods of Removal

• Topple in place

– Traditional method

– Rarely used anymore

Methods of Removal

• Tow– Most common– Used for

smaller structures

Methods of Removal

• Partial removal

– Preferred method for larger structures

TPWD Oil & Gas Platform Removal Methods

Topple12%

Towed61%

Partial Removal27%

Sizes of Platforms in TPWD Program12-pile jacket

1%

3-pile jacket13%

4-pile jacket55%

6-pile jacket2%

8-pile jacket29%

Petroleum Structures in Texas Gulf

OCS Region Reef Sites Reefed Platforms

NORTH

High Island 40 81

Galveston 6 14

Brazos 5 9

Matagorda Island 5 11

Mustang Island 8 17

Padre North 4 3

Padre South 4 8

SOUTH

Reef Sites by Water DepthWater

Depth

(ft)

Reef Sites Structures

50 - 100 14 10

101 - 150 13 17

151 - 200 20 62

201 - 250 17 30

251 - 300 11 32

301+ 6 3

Quarry RocksConcrete Culverts

Reef Balls

Nearshore Reefs & Public Reefing Program

Bridges and Causeways

Reef Pyramids

Public Reef Development

Matagorda

Galveston

Proposed Nearshore Reefs

Boatmans / Lonestar

Matagorda

Lonestar / Boatmans

Matagorda

Big Man Reef

Sabine 2

Port Mansfield

Corpus Christi

Port O’Connor

Vancouver

Port Isabel

Rio Grande Valley

Sabine 1

Lonestar / Boatmans

Big Man Reef

Matagorda

Sabine 2

Freeport and Matagorda Nearshore Reefs

• NRDA (Natural Resource Damage Assessment) funded projects

• $5 million

• Contract awarded to Callan Marine

• Reefing slated for summer 2016

– Freeport Reef: 800 reef pyramids

– Matagorda Reef: 1,600 reef pyramids

• Production slow. ~ 100 pyramids completed to date

Ships-to-Reefs

• 1960s: 3 Barges

• 1970s: 12 Liberty Ships,

T2 Tanker – V.A. Fogg

• 1980s: Barge

• 1990s: Tugboat, Navy Barge

• 2000s: Tugboat, Hopper Barge, Shrimp Boat, 473’ Texas Clipper, 155’ MV Kinta S

M/V SCM Fedra

Biological Monitoring Methods• Roving Fish Census

• Decompression diving

• Lionfish removal

• Water quality

• Video transects

• Vertical long lines

• Photo documentation

• Biological sampling

Monitoring Events and Contracts

UTRGV (2007 – present)• Padre South protraction region

• Diving surveys, biofouling, sidescan and multibeam surveys, economic impact study

TAMU - Corpus Christi (2011 – present)• Numerous platform sites in the Mustang and

Matagorda protraction regions

• Diving surveys, tagging surveys, vertical longline, remote operated vehicle surveys, etc

• Scuba diving socio-economic impact study

TAMU - Galveston (2011 - present)• Vancouver archeological survey

• Bottom surveys and bathymetry, biological monitoring, multibeam surveys

TAMU - College Station(2013-2014)• Socio-economic survey of anglers and boaters

USGS (2013-present)• Offshore water quality survey

• Nearshore AUV, water quality, substrate survey

Reaching Out . . .

• TAMUG: 2013 – 2014 survey of anglers and boaters using TPWD license system for boats ≥ 27ft

• TAMUCC: Diver survey completed 2015

So How Important are Artificial Reefs in Texas?

• 2013-14 TAMU-College Station Survey of Licensed Boat (>26ft) Owners (7,000 boat owners)

– Reef users were white males, 57 years old, with annual income >$160,000

– 62% took a trip into GOM in last 12 months, 70% to fish on TPWD reefs

– Average trip cost = $1,652 per person

So How Important are Artificial Reefs in Texas?

• 2014-15 TAMU-CC Survey (55 dive shops and 508 divers)

– Average Texas Diver is a male 34-44 years old, 4 yrBachelor’s degree, annual income of >$70,000, lives in Corpus Christi

– Average trip cost to dive Gulf only = $1,173

So How Important are Artificial Reefs in Texas?

– Total coastal county economic impact from diving:

• Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary only = $2.4m

• Gulf diving only = $2.5m

• Combined freshwater and saltwater diving in TX = $23m

So How Important are Artificial Reefs in Texas?

– Conclusion:

– “I don’t know much about the artificial reef program”

– “The best diving in Texas is Mexico”

TPWD Artificial Reef Program Partners

• Coastal Conservation Association

• Recreational Fishing Alliance

• Saltwater fisheries Enhancement Association

• Matagorda, Brazoria County Government

• Port Mansfield Reefing Community

• Reef-Man, LLC

• Cities of Corpus Christi and South Padre Island

• Friends of Rio Grande Valley Reef

Public Outreach & Information

www.facebook.com/TexasParksAndWildlifeArtificialReefProgram

tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/habitats/artificial_reef/

Direct link to Interactive map-tpwd.texas.gov/artificialreefs