Posts Tagged ‘artificial reef’
Project will be largest inshore permitted reef in Alabama
MOBILE, AL – CCA Alabama and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, have announced a partnership to complete the massive Bayou Cour Reef in Bon Secour Bay. The Bayou Cour Reef is a proposed 34-acre reef located about one mile north of the Intracoastal Waterway in the Bon Secour Bay arm of Mobile Bay.
The $163,000 project is being made possible with funds from the Marine Resources Division (MRD), a $55,000 donation from the CCA Building Conservation Habitat Program, and through donations from other sources, including CCA Alabama’s license tag program. The initial phase of the project, a rip-rap circle to contain limestone and oyster shells in the main reef, was begun by MRD in June 2011. CCA’s donations will be used to complete the first phase of the project.
“We are thrilled to partner with MRD to build yet another inshore reef in Alabama waters,” CCA Alabama Chairman Edwin Lamberth said. “Projects like this allow recreational anglers to give something directly back to the resource. We expect that the reef will become a highly productive and popular destination for inshore anglers, and we certainly expect it to be a benefit to the economies of the surrounding communities.”
The reef will be the largest permitted inshore reef in Alabama waters to date. Nearby reefs include the Fish River Reef and the Shellbank Reef, which have provided excellent finfish habitat and sport fishing opportunities. CCA Alabama has been a part of building numerous inshore reefs and enhancing fishing habitat in Alabama’s waters since the state chapter was founded in 1982.
Chris Blankenship, Director of the Marine Resources Division, and Chief Biologist Kevin Anson spearheaded the project on behalf of the state.
“We are always grateful to organizations like CCA that are committed to enhancing our marine resources here in Alabama. Donations like these make the completion of these projects possible, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with CCA, Shell and the Building Conservation Habitat Program,” said Blankenship.
“This project combines the grassroots strength of CCA with the resources of Shell and the Building Conservation program to allow our members to enhance Gulf resources in truly significant ways for both today’s anglers and for generations of anglers to come,” said Pat Murray, president of CCA National.
In December of 2010, Shell Oil Company announced a $1.5 million contribution to the CCA Building Conservation Habitat Program. Since then, the CCA program has contributed almost $400,000 to habitat projects in Gulf Coast states that were impacted with the oil spill last summer.
For more information, contact CCA Alabama at 251-478-3474. A map of the reef and its location is pasted below and can also be found at www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/saltwater/where/ramps-reefs.pdf .
Tags: artificial reef, bon secour reef, cca alabama, CCA Building Conservation
Posted in CCA Building Conservation, CCA Gulf of Mexico | 1 Comment »
4,000 concrete culverts set to go in nearshore waters this summer
The CCA Texas Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow (HTFT) program continues to pursue its aggressive goal to develop reefing projects in state waters all along the coast and has announced plans to drop 4,000 concrete culverts in a designated 160-acre reefing site off Port Mansfield this summer. This latest habitat project, set to begin in June 2011, has been funded with $50,000 from the CCA Texas HTFT program and is being done in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Artificial Reef Program and Alamo Concrete.
“Port Mansfield is an attractive place to fish for Texas anglers as well as the thousands of tourists who travel from other states to spend a few days fishing and taking advantage of our tropical winter weather,” said Robby Byers, executive director of CCA Texas. “This new reef will give anglers another place to fish and help make the Port Mansfield area an even more attractive destination for anglers.”
CCA Texas’s announcement of a new reef along the lower Texas coast is the latest project for the chapter’s habitat program and follows the completion of the Vancouver Reef expansion on the upper coast in the summer of 2010 and the announcement of a $100,000 mid-coast reefing project off Matagorda scheduled for completion in the spring of 2012.
“These kinds of close-to-shore reefs are very popular with many anglers who can now find good fishing opportunities without having to travel far offshore,” said John Blaha, director of CCA Texas’s HTFT program. “It’s a win-win for marine resources and for Texas anglers. With the great partnerships we are developing with TPWD and with good corporate citizens like Alamo Concrete, the CCA habitat program is in great shape to keep the underwater building boom going strong.”
The CCA Texas habitat initiative was launched in 2008 and has already set in motion a number of habitat projects important to Texas recreational anglers. In addition to the nearshore reefs, CCA Texas has also been a part of several marsh restoration projects, including those at Goose Island, Nueces Bay and Snake Island. In its commitment to restore and enhance marine and coastal habitats, CCA Texas has funded more than $350,000 for these and other projects.
###
CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information visit the CCA Newsroom at www.JoinCCA.org.
Tags: artificial reef, CCA Texas, Port Mansfield
Posted in CCA Building Conservation, CCA Gulf of Mexico | No Comments »
State of Louisiana
Office of the Governor
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14 2010
Press Office: Melissa Sellers, Kyle Plotkin
Contact: 225-342-8006, (c) 225-328-3755
BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal joined the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and Shell Oil Company to announce a new public-private partnership – between the recreational angling community, private businesses and the state – to assist in CCA’s ongoing Building Conservation Habitat Program.Shell has committed 1.5 million dollars to CCA’s Building Conservation Habitat Program.
Governor Jindal announced that Independence Island – formerly an emergent island in Barataria Bay near Grand Isle – will be one of the first beneficiaries of the Building Conservation Program. Independence Island was formerly one of Louisiana’s popular fishing destinations, but due to coastal erosion and subsidence, the Island has sunk to the point that it is no longer a viable fisheries habitat. Governor Jindal said the state’s new partnership with CCA and Shell will help resurrect the treasured marine life habitat associated with Independence Island.
Governor Jindal said, “Louisiana’s coastal environment has faced many challenges, some man-made and some natural. This makes it increasingly important for us to find innovative ways to restore and enhance the coastal areas that support state’s economy. Our marsh is the heart and soul of Louisiana. We have a sporting heritage second to none and a long, proud connection to our land, water and resources. Louisiana sportsmen know better than anyone the need to give something back to the environment so that we can continue to enjoy it while preserving this heritage for our children and grandchildren. That’s what makes this announcement today so inspiring – CCA’s Building Conservation Habitat Program is a long-term commitment from the angling community to the incredible natural resources of Louisiana. Partnerships like the one announced today are a critical component for helping our citizens get back on their feet after the oil spill and preserving the beauty of coastal Louisiana for generations to come.”
David Cresson, Executive Director and CEO of CCA Louisiana said, “Today’s announcement is a great example of how when private enterprise, members of the community and the state work together – they can accomplish great work. This reef will create new habitat for a large variety of marine species and will provide recreational fishing opportunities in an area that had been heavily affected by coastal erosion and other factors. I applaud Shell and Governor Jindal for working with CCA to spearhead this project, and I look forward to our continued work in conserving and enhancing our coastal fisheries.”
John Hollowell, Executive Vice President, Deep Water, Upstream Americas, Shell Energy Resources Company said, “Shell has a long history of support for environment and habitat projects, and our thousands of employees in Louisiana are excited about the possibilities of this partnership. CCA members have an amazing track record of conservation work that sets them apart. We believe in the organization and are committed to doing our part to ensure that the Building Conservation Habitat Program has the tools to bring significant marine habitat restoration projects from concept to reality.”
Patrick Murray, president of CCA National said, “This partnership combines the grassroots strength of CCA with the resources of Shell to allow our members to take the Building Conservation Habitat Program to new levels. It is an exciting time in marine conservation, and the restoration projects that will come from this initiative will play a key role in the enhancement of Gulf resources for both today’s anglers and for generations of anglers to come.”
The project calls for installing two reefs covering four acres at Independence Island this spring, each reef consisting of 3,500 tons of limestone to provide hard-structure habitat for marine fisheries. Almost immediately after installation, these reefs will start attracting marine organisms and forage fish, which will draw recreational species and provide new opportunities for anglers in Grand Isle.
CCA worked with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to permit a 55-acre site for future reef development that includes the original footprint of Independence Island. The Independence Island Reef is being made possible by a $250,000 donation from the CCA Building Conservation Habitat Program and matching funds from the state.
CCA has a highly successful artificial reef program with reefs completed in Lake Pelto, Vermilion Bay, Calcasieu Lake, and Lake Ponchartrain. In in-shore coastal areas, this program has used crushed limestone to construct low-relief “shell-pad” type structures to enhance habitats and fisheries resources.
###
Tags: artificial reef, CCA Building Conservation, Governor Jindal, Independence Island
Posted in CCA Building Conservation, CCA Gulf of Mexico | No Comments »
