REEF REVIVAL
CCA North Carolina raises funds to raise a reef. By Mike Zlotnicki
Photos by Jim Francesconi, N.C. Dept. of Marine Fisheries
392, also known as New Bern Reef, which was born back in December of 1983. A swathe of 105,000 car tires and concrete pilings expanded the original 20-acre site to about 63 acres, and now, thanks in part to CCA North Carolina, it has been “freshened up” again. In January 2011, the first phase of
A A TIDE
reef replenishment started with the deployment of 125 mounds of lime- stone fossil rock (marl) covering more than 11 acres. In addition, 112 reef balls (at $240 each) and 600 tons of concrete pipe will be deployed, funded by state and federal sources.
When all is said and done, $115,000 will be spent on materials for AR-392, and CCA North Carolina will have donated well over $20,000 for marl to enhance this estuarine habitat and reju- venate a popular local fishing destina- tion. The total project timeline could be five years. Stephen Ammons, executive direc- tor of CCA North Carolina, says that most of the money raised for the reef came from the Inside & Out Tournament, a combination inshore and offshore event the group holds each year.
BOUT 2,000 YARDS EAST of the Highway 70 bridge in New Bern, four buoys mark the site of Artificial Reef
In January 2011, the first phase of reef
replenishment started with the deployment of 125 mounds of limestone fossil rock (marl) covering
more than 11 acres.
“CCA seeks to improve our recre- ational fisheries not only through our advocacy program, but also with hands-on habitat restoration and cre- ation projects,” said Ammons. “We want to be a positive force in every aspect of managing the wonderful fish- eries we have here in North Carolina. Habitat is just as important as advocacy — they are both key components of healthy, productive fisheries. We are proud to be a part of this effort to expand and improve this reef.”
ON THE BOTTOM
For the past 10 years Jim Frances- coni has been in charge of the artificial
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reef program for North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), and oversees 40 offshore reefs and nine in estuarine waters. The DMF has also developed 10 oyster sanctuaries that serve as fishing destinations. With the vast majority of reefs off the beach, estu- arine reefs are becoming more of a focus. “We provide a destination for recre- ational fishermen where they can go and have some expectation of success,” said Francesconi. “We now have a lot of older fishermen who want some- thing safe, accessible — some place they can bring their grandkids. The economy has also provided the oppor- tunity to concentrate our artificial reef efforts in estuarine environments as they are generally less expensive to install than offshore reefs.” Francesconi knows creating marine habitat means more than dumping jet- sam overboard. The marl CCA North Carolina purchased was chosen because it is local, clean and replicates natural material in the area. It was moved from Martin Marietta quarry near New Bern and delivered to a DMF-owned and - operated, 135-foot, ex-military landing craft for deployment. But refurbishment projects are al-
ways complicated and before the first piece of material is deployed, 24 state
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