TUGBOATS BEING ADDED TO REEFS OFF SOUTH CAROLINA COAST
Picture by CCA SC
(La Isla Magazine, April 2018) ~ HHI, SC. The Coastal Conservation Association of South Carolina (CCA SC) is planning to establish the first of three deep-water reefs (100 feet of water or more) for the benefit of species in the snapper/grouper complex and the recreational anglers who pursue them. Two of the three projects are prepared and waiting for Mother Nature to provide calm seas for transporting the material. The first project will go off the coast of Charleston and consists of a 106-foot decommissioned tugboat. The second will immediately follow and consists of another large, 98-foot decommissioned tugboat to be placed off the coast of Georgetown.
The two projects represent an investment in marine habitat nearing $200,000 by CCA SC and its partners, CCA’s national marine habitat program The Building Conservation Trust (BCT), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the Greenville Saltwater Fishing Club. The search for material for the third of these projects is ongoing and will be placed off the coast somewhere in the Beaufort/Hilton Head Island vicinity once the material has been obtained.
“These tugboats will make tremendous additions to our artificial reefs, creating productive habitat for fish and anglers, as well as interesting dive sites for divers. We never would have been able to complete these projects without the assistance of CCA SC. We’re looking forward to undertaking many more reef-building projects with CCA SC and BCT in the future,” said Bob Martore, SCDNR’s Artificial Reef Coordinator.
