An Assessment of Atlantic Artificial Reef Development

Abstract

Atlantic coast artificial reef development involves a diversity of activities. Of the 14 coastal states (plus the District of Columbia) surveyed in an assessment of Atlantic reef activities, 12 had documented records of reef development. Of those 12 jurisdictions, 9 had government-sponsored reef programs. There are 273 permitted reef sites along the entire coast, with 26 of these still waiting for deployment of reef structures. The South Atlantic region is by far the most active along the coast, with development activity declining as one moves north through the Mid-Atlantic and New England areas. Florida is the most active reef-building state (112 east coast sites) followed by North Carolina (66 sites). Together, these two states account for 65% of the total Atlantic sites. There are no government-sponsored programs in New England and virtually no artificial reef activities being conducted in this region at present. In the last 10 years, the number of new Atlantic reef sites has approximately doubled, with the majority of this increase coming in the last 5 years. Since 1983, there has been a 67% increase in South Atlantic sites and a 52% increase in the Mid-Atlantic area. The impact of this artificial reef growth on Atlantic fish stocks and fisheries remains hard to quantify.