Three artificial reefs located off the Outer Banks are scheduled to receive new materials in a plan announced Wednesday by state officials.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program has finalized its five-year timeline for ocean reef enhancements funded by Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues.
An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. In North Carolina, they serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.
The state maintains 68 artificial reefs, located from estuarine waters to 38 miles from shore, and are situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.
According to a press release, the timeline for the enhancements announced this week follows public input on reef sites and materials the division received last fall.
The plans calls for the completion of one project per year, for a total of five projects, one in each coastal region.
“Artificial reef managers selected these seven sites based on several criteria including public input, contributions of material or funds, existing materials on each reef, the amount of time since the reef was last enhanced and the potential to enhance habitat complexity on the reef,” the press release states.
A pair of reefs off Hatteras and Ocracoke inlet, AR-230 and AR-250 will receive loads of concrete pipe later this year.
AR-230, known as the Mr. J.C. Reef, is located off 4.2 miles of the Hatteras Inlet sea buoy in 72 feet of water, and is composed of a 105-foot tug sunk in 1987, a 75-foot landing craft and 130-foot freighter both sunk in 1991.
AR-250, located 7.1 miles of the Ocracoke Inlet sea buoy in 83 feet of water, was constructed of concrete rubble between 1990-92, a bridge frame in 2001 and concrete boxes in 2005-2006.
Concrete pipe will be added to AR-140 in 2027-28, which is located 8.9 nautical miles from the Oregon Inlet sea buoy and about 3 miles east of Nags Head in 57 feet of water.
The reef was constructed between 1986 and 1989, and is composed of a pair of barges, a railroad boxcar and 2,000 tons of concrete pipe.
Additional materials from demolition of the Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet were added to the reef in 2022.
For more information about the program, which includes an interactive map of the location of the artificial reefs throughout North Carolina, visit https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries/public-information-and-education/coastal-fishing-information/artificial-reefs.
