Artificial Reef Program Gains 110 Mi.²

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has commenced with an $8.135-million expansion of the Alabama Artificial Reef Program. One of the largest collections in the world, Alabama’s artificial reef zones recently got even larger with the addition of 110 mi.² along the Gulf of Mexico bottom. The work is being funded by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, established with criminal fines after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Artificial reefs are being deployed in both nearshore and offshore reef zones. The largest of the new reef zones is 13-25 mi. south of Dauphin Island and adds 63 mi.² of new water bottom for constructing artificial reefs. Bottom surveys to ensure that cultural resources are not compromised have been conducted, resulting in 110 mi.² of water bottom being authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. GPS coordinates for the new reef sites will be published this fall after all the reefs have been deployed.