NSBNEWS.net and VolusiaNews.net provide 24/7 online-media coverage for a 21st-century world
Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:
Photos by Dale Smith
Concrete culverts as shown here are stacked and ready to be dropped into the ocean as part of Volusia County's artificial reef program, now in its 30th year. Sunken ships, concrete poles and slabs are also used to create a natural marine habitat some 5-15 miles out to sea off the coastline from as far north as Ormond-by-the-Sea and as far south as Canaveral National Seashore. These culverts are stacked in the Utilities Commission yard on Swoopes Drive in New Smyrna Beach.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH – Numerous ship wrecks dot the ocean floor from Ormond-By-The-Sea to the Canaveral National Seashore. But these ships didn’t fall victim to Florida hurricanes. Beginning in 1980, ships destined for the scrap metal yard were strategically placed there by Volusia County in an attempt to create artificial reefs.
Since the early days when the USS Mindanao, a 446-foot World War II ship was sunk in 1980, making it the oldest artificial reef ship off-shore here. Other ships, including the Antilles Star in 2004, have found their final resting spot to be a part of the county’s effort to improve marine life, create pristine areas for diving, and to be a part of what county officials hope will offset the impact of the federal government’s ban and limitations on deepwater bottom fishing.
Hardest hit by the ban is the South Atlantic snapper and grouper complex, 73 different species in all.
The fishing ban extends more than 5,000-square miles, from Georgia to Florida.
Meeting at the Brannon Center on Riverside Drive Tuesday night, about two dozen fishermen, divers and interested residents heard Joe Nolin, coastal division manager, Ponce de Leon Inlet and Port District, say that with the federal government’s ban on bottom fishing, new areas will be identified to create up to 15 to 20 more artificial reefs beginning next year.
“Our recycling of material is a good beneficial use for building these reefs,” Nolin said. “The reefs will provide a natural area for fish and the hundreds of marine life in an area that is much shallower than where the fishing ban is.”
Volusia County manager Jim Dinneen said the marine industry is going to be hurt if something isn’t done to protect it. “The reef program is a great resource,” he said. “The public needs to be aware of what is happening. Right now it’s been out-of-sight, out-of-mind. The marine industry is the most underappreciated industry out there.”
Over the years more and more recyclable material has been dumped on the offshore sites, including concrete culverts, material from the old Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach bridges, and tons of concrete poles and slabs.
The Swoopes Drive site off U.S Highway 1 in New Smyrna Beach has been the holding pen for all the material that’s taken by barges to the reef sites.
Each barge load weighs an average of 400 to 450 tons, according to Nolin. The next excursion by barge to the reef sites won’t be until next summer when the waters are calmer. There are now 50 artificial reefs scattered north and south off the county’s beaches, extending anywhere from five to 15 miles out.
Nolin said each reef is equivalent in height to that of a three-story house.
“This year, the lowest relief was 11-feet high,” Nolin said. “The highest was 18-feet. The higher, the better because they attract a lot of bait fish.”
The county council is finishing its public hearings this week, gathering input from citizens and seeking grass-roots support for the artificial reef system. Council members already are on board with the program but wish to see if other sites off-shore should be included in the program.
Dinneen said it was the council’s intention to make this “the best artificial reef system around.”
--Jim Dinneen Volusia County manager
"The marine industry is the most underappreciated industry out there."
About the contributing writer:
.jpg)
Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009. His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.