MOREHEAD CITY – The state Artificial Reef Program sank a 55-foot trawler at the artificial reef site, AR-305, off Cape Lookout, last week.
The program is part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries.
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The fishing vessel Alexandria Dawn, the latest addition to the artificial reef, was built in 1984, but has been out of use for around a decade, division officials announced Monday. Before sinking, the vessel was cleaned extensively in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency requirements, officials said.
The vessel was purchased and its sinking funded by state Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues. The Alexandria Dawn is located at 34 degrees 16.653 minutes north, 76 degrees 38.651 minutes west.
The Alexandria Dawn joins three other vessels at AR-305: the 183-foot Spar, the 439-foot Aeolus and the 105-foot Thomas Dann. The site also contains 1,700 tons of donated recycled concrete, deployed in July 2023. The site is approximately 28 nautical miles south of Beaufort Inlet, in 105 feet of water, and is a popular site for fishermen and divers.
An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. In North Carolina, artificial reefs serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.
