NEWS OF THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

Feb. 6, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 42

For more information contact Jeffrey Tinsman, Fisheries Section, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 302-739-4782; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.  Photos available by contacting DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

    Redbird Reef Gains Two Decommissioned Vessels
     Old Vessels Recycled on Artificial Reef as Habitat for Fish and Sea Life

Delaware’s largest and most popular artificial reef, Redbird, gained two decommissioned vessels Jan. 30, recycled there as habitat for fish and sea life. The vessels were sunk to expand the capacity of the reef, enhance fisheries habitat, and increase fishing and diving opportunities for thousands of recreational anglers and divers who visit the site each year.

“Redbird is a very successful artificial reef, and we do everything possible to help keep the site maintained and biologically diverse – with habitat that attracts many species of fish and sea life,” said Jeffrey Tinsman, reef program manager with DNREC’s Fisheries Section. “Redbird Reef is now more than 1.3 square nautical miles of ocean bottom – one of the largest permitted artificial reefs on the East Coast.”

Redbird Reef, located 16 nautical miles off the coast of the Indian River Inlet, was named in 2001 when New York City “Redbird” subway cars were sunk there. Since the reef was first created in 1997, 802 subway cars; 11 large vessels, including decommissioned barges, commercial vessels and tugboats; 86 armored military vehicles; and 6,000 tons of ballasted truck tire units have been deployed on the site. The reef now supports more than 13,000 angler visits per year, up from fewer than 300 in 1997. 

The two vessels were sunk Jan. 30 by Dominion Marine Group, Norfolk, Va., under contract with DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Delaware Reef Program and primarily funded through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The vessels include a 100-foot ship docking tug, “Bay Tide,” retired after a long career on the Chesapeake Bay, and “Crazy Horse,” an 83-foot commercial fishing trawler recently taken out of service in Georgia. The vessels were cleaned by Dominion Marine Group to remove all greases and buoyant materials that might be harmful to the marine environment. The U.S. Coast Guard inspected and approved the boats prior to transport to the reef site.

Reef construction is especially important in the Mid-Atlantic region, where the ocean bottom is usually featureless sand or mud. A decommissioned vessel makes ideal reef material, because voids and cavities in its structure provide the perfect sanctuary for reef fish. Within a few weeks, blue mussels, sponges, barnacles and soft corals attach to the structure, and in about a year, the reef will be fully productive, resembling natural habitat.

Delaware has 14 permitted artificial reef sites in the Delaware Bay and coastal waters, with five of these sites located in federal (ocean) waters. Development of the sites began in 1995 as part of a comprehensive fisheries management effort by the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Delaware Reef Program.

For more information, visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Fisheries/Pages/ArtificialReefProgram.aspx or contact Jeff Tinsman, Delaware Reef Program administrator, at (302) 739-4782.