ARTIFICIAL REEF MANAGEMENT PLAN Updated 4-11-12 · for the artificial reef program and will continue to request similar ... 2007 1,004 tons 68 feet 27 ... 4NW June 14 2000 571 tons

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM

MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIC PLAN

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COASTAL ENGINEERING DIVISION

Updated

April 2012

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1.0 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY Indian River County has a small-scale artificial reef program administered by the Coastal Engineering Division of the County Public Works Department. For Fiscal Year 2011/2012 the County has budgeted $25,000 for the artificial reef program and will continue to request similar funds when available annually. In absence of funding, the County will continue to provide staff time to coordinate funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and relay on the dedication and enthusiasm of the Sebastian Inlet Sportfishing Association (SISA). In 1995, the County was approached by SISA members to see if the County would be interested in sponsoring artificial reef development in the vicinity of Sebastian Inlet. At the time, Sebastian was the only inlet on the Florida East coast that did not have any artificial reefs easily accessible. Proposed sites were inspected by FWCC (then DEP) staffers and SISA members in March and September of 1996. In 1997, Department of the Army permit 199700975(GP-TB) was issued and reauthorized under USACE Permit SAJ-2001-04393 (IP-TB). On November 10, 2011, Indian River County received Department of the Army Permit No. SAJ-2004-04393 (SP-TSD) to continue to use three artificial reef sites 2, 3, and 4 11-13 nautical miles offshore of the Sebastian Inlet; permit expiration date November 10, 2021. The County’s permitted sites fall outside state waters therefore a FDEP Permit is not required. With funding from FWCC and the continued active participation of SISA, eight (8) artificial reefs have been placed on the permitted sites to date and a three (3) year monitoring project has been completed on fish populations. The artificial reefs constructed so far have proved very popular with both fishermen and divers. This document provides a strategic plan for continued development, monitoring, and research on the County’s artificial reefs. 2.0 CURRENT STATUS Reef site maps showing reefs deployed to date are found in Appendix 1. All the reefs are comprised of concrete railroad ties donated by the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC). These ties have proven to be excellent reef materials if correctly deployed. When deployed from a single point of a triple-anchored barge, the ties fall to the bottom in a remarkably compact pile, with

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the individual ties jumbled together in an arrangement that provides a very complex environment with deep holes and caves. Table 1 below provides the locations and other information on the reefs deployed to date. REEF NAME

DEPLOYMENT DATE

MATERIALS (Concrete Railroad ties)

DEPTH COORDINATES (DD MM.MM)

2C June 4 1999 553 tons 66 feet 27 55.520’ N 80 15.506’ W

2NW June 29 2000 571 tons 64 feet 27 55.938’ N 80 15.938’ W

3C May 28 1999 474 tons 71 feet 27 54.286’ N 80 13.292’ W


3SW

June 24, 2007 1,004 tons 68 feet 27 53.920’ N 80 13.675’ W

4C May 20 1999 408 tons 73 feet 27 55.085’ N 80 12.302’ W


4SE June 26 2000 571 tons 69 feet 27 54.660’ N 80 11.868’ W

Table 1: Reef Locations and Description

3.0 FUTURE DEPLOYMENT PLANS Over the next ten (10) years, the County plans to continue to develop the current sites. The objective is to have a reef located at the center and at each of the four corners of all three (3) permitted sites, for a total of 15 reefs. This arrangement allows for a spacing of about 1/3 nautical mile minimum between reefs, sufficient to separate anglers and avoid overcrowding, while keeping the sites close enough together to be convenient for “reef-hopping”. We envision a combination of additional reefs of materials of opportunity and at least two (2) different varieties of designed structures, to provide a diversity of habitats and to allow for comparisons of fish populations recruited to the different reef types. Long range plans include permitting a deeper reef site in 110-120 feet that could accommodate a large derelict vessel and permitting reef sites located 5 and 10 miles offshore of the Sebastian Inlet.

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4.0 MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES There is currently very heavy utilization of the existing reefs, and some conflict between divers and fishermen have been observed. These conflicts will be minimized by continuing to deploy more reefs on the sites, enabling users to better spread themselves out. There are currently no plans to try to establish any special use or special management zones on the reef sites. In the process of conducting the 3-year monitoring project, we established marker buoys on two of the reef units. These proved to be extremely popular with the fishing public, particularly with the large number of anglers who use the reefs as a site to catch live bait before heading farther offshore. The spar buoys enabled boaters to quickly and easily locate the reefs, and the buoys and their subsurface floats tended to concentrate and hold baitfish. Given the popularity of the marked reefs, and the durability and low cost of the buoy system employed, we propose to keep at least two of the reefs marked at all times. 5.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The three-year monitoring effort on the reefs deployed in 2000 has produced a detailed and reliable database from which to build, and a productive partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) has been developed. Our research objectives for the next five (5) years would center on comparative monitoring of different reef layouts using similar reef materials as compared with the well documented recruitment to the railroad tie reefs/layouts. We are also particularly interested in specific directed research on aspects of the large goliath grouper populations recruited to the existing reefs. Preliminary examinations of video footage from the monitoring of the 2000 reefs has shown that individual goliath groupers, identifiable by individual specific marking patterns, have the ability to move from reef to reef over considerable distance. We have also collected data suggesting that large aggregations of goliath grouper can dramatically influence the community structure of other resident fishes. FIT researchers have approached the US Fish and Wildlife Service with proposals to examine these topics in detail.

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APPENDIX 1

REEF SITE MAPS

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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY REEF LOCATIONS

REEF SITE 2

NW Corner Latitude.......27°56.018' North Longitude......80°16.007' West

NE Corner

Latitude.......27°56.018' North Longitude......80°15.009' West

SE Corner

Latitude.......27°55.020' North Longitude......80°15.009'West

SW Corner


REEF SITE 3


NE Corner

Latitude.......28°30' North Longitude......80°13' West

SE Corner


SW Corner


REEF SITE 4


NE Corner


SE Corner


SW Corner


SITE 2

SITE 3

SITE 4 SEBASTIAN

INLET

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ARTIFICIAL REEF SITE 2

REEF SITE 2


NE Corner


SE Corner

Latitude.......27°55.020' North Longitude......80°15.009'West

SW Corner


SITE 2

8


REEF SITE 3


NE Corner

Latitude.......28°30' North Longitude......80°13' West

SE Corner


SW Corner


SITE 3

9


REEF SITE 4


NE Corner


SE Corner


SW Corner


SITE 4

Documents

ARTIFICIAL REEF MANAGEMENT PLAN Updated 4-11-12 · for the artificial reef program and will continue to request similar ... 2007 1,004 tons 68 feet 27 ... 4NW June 14 2000 571 tons