Divetalking » Artificial Reefs
Inshore reefs next for city artificial reef program
by Joe Wilhelm Jr., Staff Writer The City’s Waterways Commission was updated on the progress of the City’s Artificial Reef program Wednesday and learned of efforts to develop in-shore reefs. Dana Morton, City Aquatic Biologist and Artificial Reef Coordinator, was joined by City Planner Jody McDaniel in presenting an update requested by the commission City Waterways Coordinator Jim Suber also helps coordinate the program’s efforts. “Artificial and natural reefs are public resources that provide recreation benefits and income to local economies,” said McDaniel. “Fishing is a multibillion dollar industry in Florida and its estimated economic impact is $5.4 billion and 54,000 jobs associated with the fishing industry,” she said. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission administers a state artificial reef program created by the Florida Legislature in 1982. The program provides financial and technical assistance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Conservation, Events, ocean, Reefs, Reference, Report
Proposed bill pushes more state scuba diving
A state representative from Northwest Michigan has proposed a bill that would allow for the creation of more scuba diving opportunities around the state. Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, said he hopes to give lakeshore tourism a boost by making it easier to intentionally sink decommissioned ships or other structures for scuba divers to explore. Currently, Michigan’s law states that vessels can be intentionally sunk only within underwater preserves, MacMaster said. His proposed bill would create a permitting process where an interested party would apply for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Quality. Any ship or other vehicle that would be sunk would need to be cleaned in accordance to federal environmental standards for decomissioned vessels used as artificial reefs, according to the proposed bill. MacMaster said it also would need … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Events, Reefs, Reference, Report
A Real-Life Treasure Hunt: Local Divers to Recover $3 Billion From Sunken World War II Ship off the Cape
by Lisa DeCanio In 1942, a British ship called the Port Nicholson, was traveling across the Atlantic from the Soviet Union to the United States. During its journey, the Port Nicholson sank at an unknown location after it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. The clincher? The Port Nicholson was carrying $53 million in platinum when it sank. Today, that platinum is worth an estimated $3 billion, and a Boston-based crew plans on recovering the lost treasure, reports CBS Boston. The treasure-hunting crew of the Sea Hunter has spent the past three years locating the ship and planning the dive. The Port Nicholson lies about 50 miles off the coast of Provincetown, MA, 700 feet below sea level. The waters where the ship lies are incredibly choppy, so the dive will have to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Reefs, Reference, Report, Wrecks
Divers find large, unexplained object at bottom of Baltic Sea
By Eric Pfeiffer A team of salvage divers has discovered an unexplained object resting at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near Sweden. “This thing turned up. My first reaction was to tell the guys that we have a UFO here on the bottom,” said Peter Lindberg, the leader of the amateur treasure hunters. Sonar readings show that the mysterious object is about 60 meters across, or, about the size of a jumbo jet. And it’s not alone. Nearby on the sea floor is another, smaller object with a similar shape. Even more fascinating, both objects have “drag marks” behind them on the sea floor, stretching back more than 400 feet. “Could this be the Star Wars Millenium Falcon, a plug to an inner world or a marine version of Stonehenge?” asks CNN’s Brooke … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Report, Wrecks
10 new artificial reefs coming to Panama City Beach, Fla.
FELICIA KITZMILLER / News Herald Writer PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bay County has committed to build at least 10 new artificial reefs by the end of the summer and more are in the works. At their last meeting, county commissioners voted to accept a $60,000 grant from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to construct 10 new artificial reefs in an area approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about 10 nautical miles from the entrance to St. Andrew Bay at a depth of about 88 feet, according to a board memo. The reefs will augment an existing reef formed when the remnants of the old DuPont Bridge were sunk in that area. Each reef will be composed of four premanufactured concrete and steel pods arranged in grid pattern about 600 feet … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Events, Reefs, Reference, Report
Titanic Items To Be Sold 100 Years After Sinking
By STEVE SZKOTAK RICHMOND, Va. — Items as small as a hairpin and as big as a chunk of the Titanic’s hull are among 5,000 artifacts from the world’s most famous shipwreck that are to be auctioned in April, close to the 100th anniversary of the disaster. Nearly a century after the April 15, 1912, sinking of the ocean liner that hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, a New York City auction is being readied by Guernsey’s Auctioneers & Brokers. That auction house has garnered headlines in the past by selling off such historical curiosities as prized Beatles photos, famous jewels of the late Princess Diana, beloved Jerry Garcia guitars and a police motorcycle used in the Texas motorcade when John F. Kennedy was slain. But nothing as titanic as the so-called … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Auction, Events, Promotions, Reefs, Reference
Coast Guard cutter Mohawk set to be sunk off Lee County, Fla
The 165-foot Coast Guard cutter Mohawk, now a floating museum in Key West, should be an artificial reef off Lee County by June 2012. Mohawk was involved in 14 attacks on German U-boats during World War II. / Photo by Brian Lapointe/Special to The News-Press By mid-2012, a significant piece of maritime military history could be resting on the sea floor 15 miles off Lee County. Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc., has agreed to donate the 165-foot World War II Coast Guard cutter Mohawk to Lee County to be scuttled as an artificial reef. Lee County has also been awarded a $1.5 million grant from West Coast Inland Navigation District to pay for towing the vessel from Key West, cleaning and sinking it. The preferred destination for Mohawk is the ARC Reef site in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Events, Featured, Reefs, Reference, Report
Resilience Webinar: Resilience Assessments and Management Decision-Making
Call Date & Time: Thursday, October 27th 20113:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time Register Here To join the Resilience Practitioners Network, email us at resilience@tnc.org For more information about The Nature Conservancy’s Reef Resilience Program visit www.reefresilience.org This Webinar is brought to you through the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. Distributed by the Resilience Practitioners Network Reef Resilience Webinar: Using Resilience Assessments to Inform Management Decision-Making Operationalizing the powerful and popular concept of resilience has proven difficult for reef managers. Many are unsure as to how to best streamline building resilience into their daily activities, as well as how to identify the high resilience sites in which to invest limited resources. Recently, colleagues from TNC, WCS, GBRMPA, NOAA and the IUCN have collaborated to build upon the coral reef … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Events, Reefs, Training
Study finds artificial reefs are economic boon, enjoy widespread public support
by Mickie Anderson, UF/IFAS News (Aug. 4, 2011) — A new Florida Sea Grant study of artificial reef use in six Southwest Florida counties shows the structures lure a lot more than fish. The reefs, which provide habitat for popular sport fish and other marine life, pulled more than $253 million into the region during one year, the study found. Though it costs nothing more than a saltwater fishing license to use the submerged structures as a fishing spot, anglers spend money on food, lodging, fuel, tackle and other necessities. The UF and Florida Sea Grant study, TP-178 Economic Impacts of Artificial Reefs for Six Southwest Florida Counties, looked at money generated by artificial reefs in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties in 2009. Researchers found that $136 million came from residents, while $117 million was spent by visitors. Bob Swett, the UF … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs
New Artificial Reef off Coast of Deleware/NJ
CAPE MAY — Some of the sailors who served on the Navy destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford gathered today to watch it be pushed to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to become part of a manmade reef. “It’s sad to see it being sunk,” said Lee String, 46, of Westville who served on the ship in 1985 as a welder, pipefitter and plumber. “It was once a proud-looking ship, but it’s better to see it go to that purpose rather than razor blades.” Officials say the 563-foot ship, which was decommissioned in 2003, will be the longest vessel ever sunk as an artificial reef in the Atlantic Ocean. Plenty of manmade objects, including several retired New York City subway cars, are already submerged in the Atlantic to create habitats for sea life … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Boats, Reefs, Reference
7 Days Left in Summer Matching Campaign
Reef Environmental Education Foundation There are only 7 days left in our Summer Fundraising Campaign, and we have an additional $10,000 to raise in order to reach our goal! REEF Board of Trustees and Staff send out a big thank you to all of those who have already donated. If you haven’t yet had a chance, please donate today – either through our online secure donate form (https://www.REEF.org/contribute), or by calling REEF HQ at 305-852-0030. Don’t forget that every contribution gets matched dollar for dollar by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation! So double your donation today and help us meet our goal of raising $60,000 in 60 days. Support from members like you have made it possible for REEF to fill data gaps … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs, Fish, Lionfish, Promotions, Reefs, Reference, Report, Volunteer
installation of the Andy King Reef Memorial plaque
On July 23, 2011, The Ancient City Game Fish Association calls upon TISIRI to participate in the installation of the Andy King Reef Memorial plaque. Flattered with the opportunity, Kistel and Kalakauskis were happy to help place the plaque and film/photograph the events. Picture may be seen from that days event at TISIRI‘s website. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs
New Artificial Reef off NE Florida
July 28th, off Duval County, Jacksonville Florida in an area known as Floyds Folly (FF), over 700 tons of concrete culvert pipes, pill boxes and more were placed. The second placement in two weeks for NE Florida. Pictures of that days event may be see at the TISIRI web site. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artificial Reefs