Work began this week to add 4 acres to an existing oyster and recreational fishing reef in the lower Cape Fear River near the banks of Carolina Beach State Park.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries are partnering on the project to expand the division’s 1-acre Artificial Reef AR-491, which was installed when the inshore reef site was established eight years ago.

Over the next few weeks, the division will use high-pressure water hoses attached to shallow-draft barges to deploy 2,100 tons of recycled, crushed concrete into the project area. The concrete chunks that are no bigger than a baseball will create a reef base of varying heights and be no thicker than 12 inches.

“The Cape Fear River used to be lined with extensive reefs, but it has experienced a severe decline in oyster population over the last several decades due to pollution, overfishing, deepening of the river, disease, sedimentation, and loss of habitat. The river still has a high volume of floating oyster larvae, and this artificial reef will serve as a base for them to attach to,” according to the release.

In addition to completing the artificial reef site, the project includes restoring 10 acres of wetlands in the park, installing 2,000 feet of living shorelines, and incorporating oyster reef sills and salt marsh habitat along the park’s river boundary, the nonprofit organization announced Wednesday.

“This reef site is somewhat unique in its proximity to shore, making it readily accessible to shore-based anglers or kayakers,” Jordan Byrum, Enhancement Project Manager for the division, said in a statement. “The materials placed at the site in 2017 have withstood several hurricanes and continue to support oyster populations and provide fishing opportunities during high tide. We expect this site will remain productive for anglers visiting Carolina Beach State Park.”

Officials are advising that visitors take caution near the marina where construction materials are stockpiled and moved to the barge with heavy machinery. Access to some boat slips will be limited during the project.

The reef is part the Oyster Pathway, a component of the Coastal Federation’s Lower Cape Fear River Blueprint, which has the goal to improve the river and surrounding watershed’s overall health and water quality.

“The completion of this reef is an important step in the implementation of the Cape Fear River Oyster Pathway,” Ted Wilgis, a coastal scientist with the nonprofit, said in a release.

The Oyster Pathway is to eventually extend downriver to Bald Head Island, connecting the remaining natural reefs with reefs constructed by Audubon North Carolina, University of North Carolina Wilmington and the Bald Head Island Conservancy.

The Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Program has been operating since the 1970s and has a total of 71 permitted artificial reefs and oyster sanctuaries within the state.

The Coastal Federation, Carolina Beach State Park and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation have been working together since 2015 on projects in the park and along the shores of the lower Cape Fear River.

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.

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.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Program seeks public input and project advisers for the next five years of ocean reef enhancements.

The state Artificial Reef Program is looking to complete one project per year, for a total of five projects, one in each of the following coastal regions:

• Outer Banks
• Raleigh Bay
• Northern Onslow Bay
• Southern Onslow Bay
• Long Bay

Regional advisers are needed for each project to recommend materials and reef sites for enhancements. The division takes over for all other project phases, including securing state and federal permits, administering funds, awarding contracts and deployment verification.

Officials said the specific order of enhancements will be determined by material and stockpile availability, division staff obligations and timing of the most recent enhancement in the region. The enhancements will occur on established ocean reef sites within 20 nautical miles of shore.

Materials and deployment for the projects will be funded through an annual $500,000 Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant, but advisers are encouraged to offer matching contributions such as funding, materials and staging areas. Any reef material contributions must meet division specifications for acceptable materials, such as concrete pipe, concrete rubble, steel-hulled vessels.

Eligible recommendations for projects will be chosen based on scope and merit, need, material suitability and matching contributions.

Potential project advisers should complete the online recommendation form by Dec. 15, 2024. Projects will be selected by Jan. 10, 2025. Selected advisors will be notified following project selection.

For more information, email Jordan Byrum at jordan.byrum@deq.nc.gov or call 252-515-5481.

Update Oct. 13: Organizers have rescheduled the deployment of the 15-acre artificial reef into the Pamlico River for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Update Monday: Officials announced that because of scheduling change with the transport barge, the deployment of the artificial reef in the Pamlico River initially scheduled for Wednesday has been delayed. A new date for the reef installation will be announced.

Original story:

Officials with state agencies and a recreational fishing group are optimistic that an artificial reef that is to be deployed Wednesday off Hobucken will give the Pamlico River ecosystem a needed boost.

This project is a partnership among the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina and Raleigh-based Natrx, which is providing the 3-D printed artificial reef structures called ExoForms that will make up the reef system.

ExoForms “provide refuge for important fish species such as red drum, sheepshead, black drum, striped bass and speckled trout, as well as oysters, mussels, crustaceans, invertebrates and other organisms, promoting biodiversity and vibrancy within the river ecosystem,” according to Natrix, the company that designed and printed the product.

The reef to be deployed at 9 a.m. Wednesday will be the second Pamlico River reef project for Natrx, CCA NC and the division in the last 16 months, according to a news release. In May 2022, a similar artificial reef was deployed upstream near the mouth of Bath Creek. 

“These reef projects have been supported by popular demand from the local community as well as among sportsmen traveling here,” David Sneed, executive director of CCA NC said in a statement. “This project dovetails with local efforts by the state Wildlife Resource Commission to improve access for recreational anglers to this part of the Pamlico which is more remote than other areas of the state with more development.”

Natrx produces nature-based “adaptive infrastructure” that is used to enhance coastal sustainability and resilience. The president of the company, Matt Campbell, invented Natrx’s dry forming manufacturing process. Campbell is a bio-agricultural and coastal engineer with a doctorate from N.C. State University.  

The new 15-acre reef site will be one of 25 artificial reefs in North Carolina maintained by the division. The reef program receives funding from the North Carolina General Assembly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration Program and the North Carolina Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grant Program.

The deployment Wednesday has made possible by financial contributions from the CCA Building Conservation Trust and Starborough Wine, a New Zealand-based wine brand. 

Sneed said in a release from CCA NC that the New Zealand winery, Starborough Wines,owned by E. & J. Gallo Winery, is contributing $25,000 to the project.

E. & J. Gallo Winery Senior Director of Marketing Adrienne Daniels said in the CCA NC release that the Pamlico Sound was chosen for funding “because it’s the largest estuarine lagoon in the state and one of the largest in the United States.”

Several projects by the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program to build up North Carolina’s existing, offshore artificial reefs were recently completed.

Artificial reefs are a manmade underwater structure built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom and serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

The artificial reef program, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, completed disposal of the remnants of the old Oregon Inlet Bridge, which was replaced in 2019 by the 2.8-mile Marc Basnight Bridge.

The 68 barge loads of bridge material, totaling 80,000 tons of concrete, is the largest amount of material associated with any artificial reef project in the history of program. The material was deposited at eight artificial reefs — six off Ocracoke Inlet, one off Beaufort Inlet and one off Bogue Inlet.

Also, two different reefs in Long Bay each received about 1,500 tons of recycled concrete pipe. The deployment was funded by Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues. The pipe, including 1,100 tons from Columbus and Bladen counties, was donated by North Carolina Department of Transportation. Much of the pipe had been damaged during Hurricane Florence in 2018 and would have otherwise cost the state $65,000 to dispose the material in a landfill.

The state partnered with organizations including the nonprofits Veteran Memorial Reefs of Carolina Beach and Eternal Reefs Inc. of Sarasota, Florida, for memorial reef projects. Each organization placed cremated ashes of loved ones in concrete reef structures or reef balls, which were deployed at a reef sites off Wrightsville Beach and off Topsail.

Program officials also worked with the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina to enhance an artificial reef near Bayview in the Pamlico River. The association purchased material from Natrx, a Raleigh-based company that used a 3D printer to create 100 dimensional concrete reef structures for the project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sportfish Restoration Grant funded the deployment of these structures.

The division maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore. They are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

Sinking of the Valley Forge to become an artificial reef. Video: DMF

The Valley Forge, a 108-foot tugboat, was sunk Friday off Oregon Inlet as part of the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program, in partnership with the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee, the division announced Monday.

The Valley Forge is a 108-foot firefighting tugboat, originally commissioned by the U.S. Army and constructed in 1954. It served for many decades, undergoing a refit in the 1990s. The tug was later decommissioned and put up for auction in 2012.

The Valley Forge joins tugboats, the America and the American at the site AR-165, located about 7 miles southeast of Oregon Inlet. The site contains about 7,200 tons of recycled concrete pipe. GPS coordinates are 35 degrees 41 minutes north and 75 degrees 26 minutes west.

An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, that serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

The Valley Forge was cleaned of environmental pollutants in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers regulations prior to reefing.

Its placement leaves a navigational clearance of around 20 feet. The division plans to sink some large reef balls and concrete pipe at the site later this year.

The site, AR-165, was established and all materials placed as part of a Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant awarded to the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee.

The division maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore. They are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information about the program or the vessel sinking, contact Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Jordan Byrum at 252-808-8036 or Jordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov.

A 180-foot vessel was sunk Friday about 15 miles from Topsail Island to be an artificial reef.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program, in partnership with the Brian Davis Artificial Reef Memorial, sank the 180-foot Iris class buoy tender at Artificial Reef-368 in Southern Onslow Bay, 18 miles from Masonboro Inlet.

There is a navigational clearance of about 20 feet at the site and the division plans to sink large reef balls and concrete pipe later this fall.

The Brian Davis, originally commissioned by the Coast Guard and named Salvia, is a memorial vessel named in honor of a diver who lost his life in a diving accident several years ago, according to the division.

The ship-sinking project cost $268,000. Davis’ family, through fundraising, donated $65,000 toward the vessel and $203,000 was funded by a Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant.

The vessel was built in 1943 and was used in the Great Lakes as an icebreaker in 1944. The vessel served in Portsmouth, Virginia, during World War II and was moved to Alabama after the war, where the vessel remained until decommissioned in 1991.

Before the tug was sunk, environmental pollutants were removed to meet Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers regulations. GPS coordinates for AR-368 are 34.09514, -77.25782.

Artificial reefs serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

The division maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore. They are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information, about the program or the vessel sinking, contact Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Jordan Byrum at 252-808-8036 or Jordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov.

A tugboat was sunk Monday off the coast of Pea Island, the first of three tugboats to be part of a new artificial reef, a man-made underwater structure built to promote marine life.

The 88-foot, 1951, tugboat, American, is the first addition to AR-165, a new reef site, that is about 7 miles south of the Oregon Inlet sea buoy off Dare County, according to the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program, which partnered with the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee on the new reef site project.

Following regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, environmental pollutants were removed from the tugboat before it was sunk. the boat that was retired from service in 2012 has been placed to leave a navigational clearance of about 30 feet.

The division plans to sink the other two tugboats, the 104-foot America and 110-foot Valley Forge, later this winter. In addition to the placement of the three vessels for the project, 7,000 tons of concrete pipe will be deployed in early spring at the reef site

The Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee organized the project that was funded by a Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant and a large donation by TW’s Bait and Tackle of Nags Head.

In North Carolina, artificial reefs serve as critical spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species. The division maintains 68 artificial reefs located in estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore and are situated to be accessible from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information, about the program or the tugboat reefing, contact Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Jordan Byrum at 252-808-8036 or Jordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov.

MANTEO – An artificial reef project near Roanoke Island is in the works and a public information meeting is set to share the details.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program will hold the meeting on the upcoming artificial reef project at AR-197 at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 in Dare County Administration Building board of commissioners meeting room, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo.

The program plans to use about 1,600 tons of rock to create low-relief ridges and mounds that will be home to inshore species such as speckled trout and striped bass at AR-197. That’s about 1.5 nautical miles north of Roanoke Island, according to DMF.

An artificial reef is a man-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom and serves as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

The division maintains 22 estuarine reefs, 15 of which serve as oyster sanctuaries, and 43 ocean artificial reefs, which are located from one-half mile to 38 miles from shore and are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information about AR-197 or other artificial reefs in the state, visit the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program website or contact Jordan Byrum at Jordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov or 252-808-8036.

MOREHEAD CITY – The 98-foot tugboat, Fort Fisher, will become part of an artificial reef off the coast of Carteret County next week.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program, in partnership with the East Carolina Artificial Reef Association, plans to add the former tugboat to AR-320, an existing artificial reef about 2.5 miles offshore of Pine Knoll Shores. The work is expected to take place from Sept. 10-14. The date is dependent on weather and water conditions.

Artificial reefs are man-made underwater structures built to promote marine life and serve as spawning and foraging habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish species.

A Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant for $185,000 funded the project. The Eastern Carolina Artificial Reef Association used the grant for the acquisition, cleaning and deployment of the vessel.

Built in 1956, the Fort Fisher is a former towing tugboat from the N.C. Port of Morehead City, according to a release from DMF. The tugboat will be cleaned of environmental pollutants and prepared for sinking in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers regulations. Its placement will have no effect on navigational clearance.

The division maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles offshore, all situated to be  reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information, about the program or the tugboat reefing, contact Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Jordan Byrum at 252-808-8036 or Jordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov.

CARTERET COUNTY — Construction will begin this week on two new estuarine artificial reefs, the state Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program announced Monday.

The estuarine reefs will be built using concrete reef balls, with one located in Bogue Sound just outside of Spooner’s Creek in Morehead City, AR-380 at latitude 34 degrees 43.110 minutes north and longitude 76 degrees 48.020 minutes west, and the other near the mouth of the White Oak River in Cedar Point, AR-381 at latitude 34 degrees 40.419 minutes north and longitude 77 degrees 6.532 minutes west.

The program also plans to sink in the coming weeks the retired tugboat, Fort Fisher, in the ocean off Pine Knoll Shores at an existing reef site, AR-320 at latitude 34 degrees 39.533 minutes north and longitude 76 degrees 48.417 minutes west. The site already contains concrete bridge rubble, steel bridge trusses and a 140-foot vessel.

Boaters and other water users should use caution if they see the construction activity at these sites.

An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, according to the release. In North Carolina, they serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.

The division maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore. They are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.

For more information, contact Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Jordan Byrum at 252-808-8036 orJordan.Byrum@ncdenr.gov.

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

A new artificial reef to be built 8 miles south of the Oregon Inlet sea buoy has been funded by a grant from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries.

Through the sale of coastal recreational fishing licenses, a two-year grant in the amount of $882,000 was awarded to the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee for the construction of AR-165.

In addition to fishing licenses money, local matching funds were donated by TW’s Bait & Tackle, Manteo Marine and Southern Bank. Local funding is still being sought and donations can be made through the website of the Outer Banks Anglers Club.

Prior to beginning reef construction, all state and federal permits must be obtained. A Coastal Area Management Act major permit is expected to be issued within the next few weeks. It is anticipated that federal permits will follow thereafter, although the exact time period is unknown.

The initial reef construction will consist of one ship about 100-140 feet in length. The retired vessel will be towed to the reef site and sunk in place.

In addition to the ship, 2,000 tons of concrete material consisting of assorted concrete pipe ranging in size from 36- to 76-inches in diameter and 8-feet in length will be used in the construction of AR-165.

The concrete will be barged to the reef site and deployed as directed by a North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Group representative.

Second-year plans call for an additional 6,000 tons of concrete material and possibly another ship, if funding allows.

No material from the demolition of the Bonner Bridge will be used on this new reef. That debris is all scheduled to be used to enhance four older reefs in the vicinity of Oregon Inlet.

For more information, visit www.outerbanksanglersclub.com and click on the link to the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.