(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association -August 1995 newsletter)
Since the inception of the state’s Reef Program in 1983, reef construction efforts have greatly increased. During the 11 year period , a total of 803 patch reefs have been built on New Jersey’s network of 14 ocean reef sites. A patch reef is a one-half to several acre reef created by placing a ship or one barge load of other material on the sea floor. 1994 proved to be a very good year for construction efforts with 77 new reefs available for fish, fishermen and divers.
Objectives of the Reef Program
New Jersey’s Reef Program is administered by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish, Game And Wildlife. The objectives of the program are to construct hard-substrate "reef" habitat in the ocean for certain species of fish and shellfish, new fishing grounds for anglers and underwater structures for scuba divers.
Adopt-A-Wreck
Would you like to put your name, your company’s name or your club’s name on a New Jersey shipwreck or reef structure and join other historic wrecks along the New Jersey coast? Would you like to build an underwater home for marine fish and shellfish? Would you like to create a new fishing ground and dive attraction for New Jersey sportsmen?
You can do all these things through New Jersey’s Adopt-A Wreck Program. For details on how you can adopt a wreck, contact:
Reef Program
Division of Fish, Game And Wildlife
PO Box 418
Port Republic, NJ 08241
Phone: (609)748-2020 Fax: (609)748-2032
Do you want to receive a copy of REEF NEWS to keep informed about the N.J. Reef Program? Just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a request for the latest issue ,to the address listed above.
Artificial Reef Association
The Artificial Reef Association was founded in 1991 be a group of party and charter boat captains an marine owners. The goal of the ARA is to promote reef construction throughout the state’s coastal waters. The primary function of the non-profit organization has been to raise money to help pay the costs of cleaning, preparing and towing ships and barges destined for sinking on reef sites. so far ARA has provided funds to sink 14 vessels
If you , or your club, would like to make a donations or help sponsor the sinking of a vessel on a reef, please contact:
ARA
PO Box 16
Oceanville, NJ 08231