DELAWARE REEF PROGRAM 19922007

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DELAWARE REEFPROGRAM 1992-2007
Special Management Zones for Ocean Sites
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Newly Permitted Sites

• Reedy Island
• DEL-Jerseyland Inshore
• Del-Jerseyland Offshore

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DELAWARE CANDIDATEREEDY ISLAND REEF SITE

• Distance to Augustine Ramp .38 nm
• Distance to Fort DuPont Ramp 5 nm
• Distance to Canal Wildlife Area Ramp 7.5 nm
• Distance to Collins Beach Ramp 9 nm
• Distance to Christina River Ramp 15 nm

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DELAWARE CANDIDATE20 FATHOM REEF SITE

• LOCATION 38O 31.235 N
• 074O 30.576 W
• Distance to Indian River Inlet 26 nm
• Distance to Cape Henlopen 32 nm

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DELAWARE CANDIDATE30 FATHOM REEF SITE
LOCATION 38O 32.257 N 073O 49.657
W Distance to Indian River Inlet 58
nm Distance to Cape Henlopen 61 nm Distance to
Cape May Inlet 55 nm Distance to Ocean City, MD
61 nm
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Site selection criteria

• Featureless sand bottom areas, no live bottom,
  no existing wrecks.
• General areas which have the preferred habitat
  type of target fish species
• Areas which are not in conflict with navigation
  (Mariners Advisory Committee)
• Areas not in conflict with existing commercial
  fisheries (MAFMC)

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DELAWARE
Reef Fish
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TautogTautoga onitis
Photo courtesy soundwaters.org
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Black Sea BassCentropristis striata
Photo courtesy njscuba.net
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ScupStentotomus chrysops
Photo courtesy njscuba.net
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DELAWARE
Reef Materials
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Delaware Reef MaterialsDeployed Since 1995

• 74,000 tons of concrete products
• 9,000 tons of ballasted tire units
• 86 military vehicles (tanks)
• 11 steel-hulled vessels
• 619 Red Bird subway cars

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James River Reserve Fleet
Photo courtesy atlanticfleetsales.com
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Spruance Class Destroyer
Photo courtesy rellitechnology.com
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Goals of the Delaware Reef Program

• Provide enhanced fish habitat with protective
  structure and trophic (food) support for fish
• Increase marine invertebrate biodiversity
• Increase marine invertebrate biomass
• Provide hook and line fishing opportunities

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Funding for the Delaware Reef Program

• Wallop-Breaux federal funds
• PSEG mitigation funds (25 match)
• The value of donated materials and services
  (in-kind match)
• Private donations
• No state funds

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User conflicts on Ocean Sites

• Annual complaints since 2002
• Requests by legislators to take action
• Complaints by private vessel, head and charter
  vessel captains
• Long lines of fish pots make drift fishing
  difficultloss of recreational gear
• Type of reef material leads to high loss of
  commercial gearghost pots
• Ghost pots continue to fish and take recreational
  gear year after year.

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SMZs for Ocean (EEZ) reef sites

• Began as an option in the snapper-grouper plan
  (SAFMC)
• The vast majority of reef sites in the EEZ in the
  south Atlantic have SMZ designation
• MAFMC has authority to grant SMZ status upon
  request of the reef permit holder for
  mid-Atlantic reef sites
• SMZ designation would allow management options,
  such as gear restrictions to be imposed
• SMZ regulations would be enforced by the USCG
• SMZ status would allow recreational and
  commercial hook and line fishing to continue
  without conflict with pots and continued loss of
  gear

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Impact on Commercial Potters

• Area of the Atlantic continental shelf adjacent
  to Delaware2,323.28 square nautical miles
• Area of five permitted reef sites in the
  EEZ..4.62 square nautical miles
• Percentage of Delawares EEZ potentially impacted
  by SMZ designation0.1989 (1/500th)
• An individuals sea bass catch is limited to an
  annual quota, which can be harvested elsewhere in
  the remaining 99.8011 (499/500ths) of the ocean
  bottom