Coast Is Cleared for 2 New Artificial Reefs for Jersey Waters

TRENTON —

Recreational fishermen in New Jersey are a step closer to getting artificial reefs of their own in state waters.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave New Jersey permission to build two artificial reefs – one off the Manasquan Inlet and one in the Delaware Bay, state Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Thursday.

The permit comes more than a year after the federal government reinstated an artificial reef program that it had suspended for close to five years because of turf wars between recreational and commercial fishermen.

“We are very excited to move forward with this expansion of the state’s network of artificial reefs, which create important habitat for many types of marine life,” Martin said. “By enhancing recreational fishing and diving opportunities, these reefs help boost the state’s tourism economy.”

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The reef to be built off Ocean County’s Manasquan Inlet is the result of a compromise the state brokered between recreational and commercial fishermen who for years had fought over access to artificial reefs because of the fish they attract.

Under that compromise, reached in 2015, commercial fishermen got access to portions of two existing reefs and recreational fishermen were to get access to a square mile a new reef to be constructed off the inlet.

The compromise addresses reefs in state waters, which are up to 3 miles off the coast. Beyond those are 17 reefs in federal waters.

The second reef, in Delaware Bay, had already been planned.

Martin said that reef, which will be the first for that area, would expand fishing opportunities in that region.

“We are particularly pleased with the opportunity to develop Delaware Bay’s first reef site, which will help bolster tourism in that region,” he said.

Recreational fishing generates $1.5 billion in economic benefits in New Jersey annually and directly employs about 20,000 people, state officials have said.

The reefs are built from various materials, such as rocks, concrete, steel, old ships and barges. Marine organisms that grow on those surfaces eventually attract many species of fish and shellfish.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had suspended funding for the artificial reef program in 2011 over concerns that commercial fishing was pushing out recreational fishermen from those sites, which are funded by taxes on recreational fishing gear and boat fuel.

The Army Corps permit allows the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife to develop the two new reefs over the next 10 years as materials suitable for reefs become available.

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