February 25, 2014 Pat Geer and January Murray

Restoring Fish Habitats

via Artificial Reef Restoration

“ALT” Deployment: 130’ GADNR Barge & Poles

Artificial Reef Program Goals

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Restore Fish Habitats for Recreational Fishers

Deploy Donated Materials of Opportunity

Establish New & Maintain Existing Partnerships

Sapelo Saltwater Fishing Club

Savannah Steel Terminal LLC.

“ALT” Deployment: 130’ GADNR Barge & Poles

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Offshore Reef Program

Environmentally Safe

Relatively Stable Materials

Do Not Degrade Quickly or Subside

30 Offshore Artificial Reef Sites

“DRH” 2012 Deployment & 2013 Diving

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Regional Permit #36 Updated:

May 9, 2013: Navy Tower Coordinates

Sep. 1, 2013: Annual Compliance Report Submitted to USACE

Sep. 11, 2013: Addition of “BH” & “BL” Reefs Sites to RP36

Donations:

Northern Reef Staging Area = East Coast Terminal Company

Southern Reef Staging Area = City of Brunswick (Liberty Harbor)

485 tons Concrete Power Poles: ~377 tons = GA Power

~ 88 tons = GA Transmission

Hopper Barge (254’ x 54’ x 17’) by Savannah Steel Terminal LLC

330 Chicken Coops by Claxton Poultry Farms

Deployments:

“DRH” Reef = 274 Total Pallet Balls (Aug. & Oct. 2012)

“KTK” Reef = 39’ Steel Hulled Vessel (Sept. 2012)

“ALT” Reef = 130’ GADNR Barge & Power Poles (June 2013)

“KC” Reef = 254’ Hopper Barge & 330 Chicken Coops (Nov. 2013)

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Offshore Reef Accomplishments 2012-2013

2012 Diving & Inspections:

8 GADNR Dive Team Members

3 of 30 Reefs were Inspected & Monitored (4 Dive Days)

2013 Diving & Inspections:

Buoy Inspections, Only “SAV” & “KBY” Reef Buoys Remain

4 Additional Staff Certified as GADNR Dive Team Members

12 of 30 Reefs were Inspected & Monitored (7 Dive Days)

45 General Contaminants Samples Collected via Diving (3 Reefs)

Dept. of Navy (DON) TACTS Coordination:

DON Notice of Availability of Real Property (Oct. 2012)

2013 Decommission of 8 Tactical Aircrew Training Systems Towers

(TACTS) to create essential fish habitat off of GA’s coast

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Offshore Reef Accomplishments 2012-2013

Feb. 19th 2014 Deployment:

“SAV” Reef = Steel Deck Barge (110’ x 30’ x 7’)

Deployment Plans Before June 30th:

1 Reef Site *Contingent upon Available Funds & Materials*

Associate Biologist, Edward Leonard, Hired Feb. 17th

Attend ASMFC Artificial Reef Meeting Feb. 25th-26th

March / April Press Release: Reef Coordinate Updates

Diving & Inspections:

Assist with Coastal Arrays Diving Project (~18 Dive Days)

Inspect & Monitor ~10+ Reefs (~8 Dive Days)

Collect ~45 General Contaminants Samples via Diving (3 Reefs)

TACTS Coordination: 2014 & Beyond

DON Creates Deployment Plan

DON Seeks Deployment Funding

DON Transfer of Property to GADNR upon TACTS Deployment

Offshore Artificial Reef 2014 Plans

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

“SAV” Reef Deployment: 110’ Barge

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division

Established/Permitted 1984-1999

13 inter-tidal & 2 sub-tidal

Types of Materials Concrete: Forms, FADs,

Pallet Balls, & Culvert

Metal: Culvert & Cages

Marked by Pilings Assessed Annually

Compliance =SSS & Fly-Overs

Renewed Interests:

Fuel costs

Closures of offshore species

2013 Activities: Obtained State & Federal Permits

2014 Plans:

Replace Timmons Pilings

Replace Signage: Timmons & 4 Mile

Deploy Power Poles to High Point

2015 & Beyond:

Annually Deploy Materials of Opportunity

Inshore Artificial Reef Restoration

Side Scan Sonar & Aerial Compliance Surveys

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division