ONE MAN’S TRASH
OFFSHORE REEFS ATTRACT ANGLERS — INSHORE REEFS, OYSTERS By Kyle Hanlin
WATER QUALITY, temperature, tides and
currents all affect the environment for marine
life. And, while human behaviors are known
to negatively impact natural habitats, adding
some large-scale junk to coastal waters actually allows nature to
thrive. Submerged human discards, “particularly anything that
has the vertical profile that, say, a ship does,” says Jordan Byrum,
artificial reefs coordinator for the North Carolina Department of
Marine Fisheries (NCDMF), are positively impacting the state’s
waters, and economy, by being converted to artificial reefs that
provide natural habitat for a variety of ocean-dwelling creatures.
The practice of building artificial reefs dates back to 17th-century
Japan. Most early man-made reefs had short lifespans due to their
small size; the shifting ocean floor covered them with sand after a
short time of service. Even reefs built just a few decades ago were
not engineered for longevity.
“Back in the ’60s and ’70s, they used all kinds of things for arti-ficial
reefs — refrigerators, appliances, old cars — but these things
typically don’t stick around very long,” Byrum says. “The ocean is a
rough place. Thin metal rusts away quickly, and things get moved
around by storms. So, we focus on things that are very durable, and
are stable.”
The NCDMF maintains 68 artificial reefs, 43 offshore and
25 inshore, that promote water quality, marine life and a healthier
coastal economy. Properly constructed artificial reefs use materi-als
that would cost a small fortune to dispose of otherwise: rubble
from demolished buildings and roadways, decommissioned ships,
junked train cars and automobiles.
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WBM february 2019