Artificial Reef Issues - good habitat and good diving
The New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued the Third Edition of Guide to Fishing and Diving New Jersey Reefs.
Check out their website:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/reefs/reef_guide.pdf
State Senate panel OKs ‘pots off reefs’ measure
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer | Posted: Tuesday, February 2,
2010
Press of Atlantic City
A bill that would ban fish pots from the state's artificial reef system was
approved unanimously by the state Senate's Environment and Energy Committee on
Monday.
The bill promoted by recreational fishing groups and opposed by commercial
fishermen is the third attempt to get the legislation enacted. Two earlier
attempts passed the full Senate but failed to get Assembly approval.
Those attempts resulted in a compromise proposal by commercial fishermen, but
rejected by the recreational industry, and a plan by the state Department of
Environmental Protection to give anglers exclusive use of the reefs for six
months of the year. The DEP proposal went nowhere.
The latest bill still faces a number of hurdles. Adam Nowalsky, of the
Galloway Township-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, said the next step is to
get approval by a state Assembly committee of a companion bill.
"We're very excited the legislation has been voted out of the Senate
committee. We look forward to a full vote in the Senate and a companion bill in
the Assembly. Last year the Assembly bill never made it through committee. We're
optimistic the third time will be the charm," Nowalsky said.
Marty Buzas, a commercial fisherman from Wildwood, drove to Trenton on Monday
to oppose the bill. He said the bill would allow hook-and-line fishing on the
reefs, but not the fish pots commercial fishermen use.
"The problem is you can't catch conchs and lobsters with hook-and-line. It
would totally eliminate us from the reefs," Buzas said.
Even if the bill passes, it would apply only to the two artificial reefs in
state waters. There are 13 other reefs in federal waters outside three miles.
Nowalsky said they would approach the Mid-Atlantic Fishing Management Council,
which regulates fish in those waters, to prevent pot fishing in them as
well.
The main issue is gear conflicts. Anglers say their gear gets caught on the
pots and ropes the commercial fishermen use. Buzas said anglers also hang up
their lines on the wrecks. He said fishing such areas while drifting leads to
the problem, but if anchored there is less chance to get hung up.
"They're fishing on wrecks. It's the same as fishing on a junkyard," Buzas
said.
Finfish could still be harvested by commercial fishing using the
hook-and-line method. Nowalsky said 90 percent of the lobsters landed off New
Jersey come from other areas, some as far out as the continental shelf.
The RFA said the area in question is just .3 percent of the sea floor off New
Jersey, yet 20 percent of the recreational catch comes from it. This causes an
economic ripple as anglers spend money at marinas, bait and tackle stores, party
boats, hotels and motels, on fuel and other expenditures.
The RFA also notes the 2005 state-approved Artificial Reef Plan said the
intent of the reefs is for hook-and-line fishing.
The commercial industry counters that the 2005 plan did not specifically ban
pots and the original reef plan from 1987 opened them to both recreational and
commercial interests. Much of the funding to create the reefs comes from the recreational sector
through donations and taxes sport fishermen pay, although the commercial side
argues that the reefs are also supported by county, state and federal funding to
which they contribute.
Nowalsky said allowing pots could endanger sport-fishing restoration funds.
He said other East Coast states have said pots were not compatible with their
reefs.
According to the state, about 50 commercial fishermen are actively fishing
the reefs, compared with 1.3 million anglers in the state.
State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said he still
hopes for a compromise. He said a big part of the problem is illegal potting,
both by commercial and recreational fishermen. Getting illegal pots off the
reefs would reduce gear conflicts, he said.
"Recreational fishermen are getting tangled up, but most of the time not from
legal, responsible commercial fishermen. I still think we can get the RFA and
commercial folks together to compromise. I really don't support this as it is,"
Van Drew said.
DEP OFFERS NJ ARTIFICIAL REEF PLAN UPDATE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW (release 10/7/2004)
(04/119) TRENTON - The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today released a copy of the update to its "Artificial Reef Management Plan for New Jersey" for public comment. The Plan has helped to guide New Jersey's extensive reef building efforts at 14 artificial reef locations for more than 17 years. New Jersey is now a national leader in artificial reef development and this plan will strengthen our reef program through appropriate standards and fisheries goals," said DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell.
Artificial reefs are an environmental and economic boon for New Jersey. New fishing and diving opportunities enhance our shore economy, while our marine ecosystems gain new habitat. The new draft of the Plan covers all aspects of the multi-faceted program, including its objectives, history, benefits, site selection and other considerations. It also establishes a protective standard for the stability, durability and effectiveness of various materials used in reef construction. Currently there is no uniform national standard for the durability of reef materials. Over the years, New Jersey has had tremendous success with its artificial reef program. Past studies of artificial reefs show that they may be colonized by up to 200 species of fish and invertebrates. Reefs have 800 to 1,000 times more biomass than open ocean. Artificial reefs can also form important nurseries for juvenile fish.
In recent years, DEP added several ships and tugboats to its reefs, as well as more unusual materials such as the 250 decommissioned New York City subway cars added at five reef locations in the summer of 2003. DEP has formed an independent committee to oversee a multi-year monitoring program at the subway car sites that will study water quality, fisheries and biota, and the durability of the reefs. The results of this study will further help New Jersey refine its artificial reef program.
The
state currently has 14 artificial reef sites where it periodically
deploys new reef materials. These sites include: Sandy Hook Reef, Sea
Girt Reef, Shark River Reef, Axel Carlson Reef (offshore from
Mantoloking), Barnegat Light Reef, Garden State North Reef (offshore
from Harvey Cedars), Garden South Reef (offshore from Spray Beach),
Little Egg Reef (offshore from Holgate), Atlantic City Reef, Great Egg
Reef (offshore from Atlantic City), Ocean City Reef, Wildwood Reef,
Deep Water Reef (offshore from Wildwood), and Cape May Reef. The DEP is
accepting public comments on the draft for the next 60 days.
A copy of the update to the Plan is available at the DEP website at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/reefplan04.htm.
Send your written comments to:
Bill Figley, Reef Coordinator
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
PO Box 418Port Republic, NJ 08241
*In providing specific comments, please reference the page or section number
in the plan to which you are referring.
April 23, 2002
Testimony to the New
Jersey General Assembly Committee
on Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Hearing on Potential Use of Subway Cars for Artificial Reefs
-
by Glenn Arthur, Chairperson NJCDC
The New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs is an organization of 20 Sport Diving Clubs from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Our members are actively involved in sport scuba diving off of the New Jersey coast and have helped to support the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program over the years by funding and supporting several artificial reef projects.
The NJCDC strongly supports using these "Redbird" subway cars as artificial reefs in accordance with all Federal and State environmental laws and regulations. They will not only provide excellent needed habitat for important fish, such as Sea Bass and Tautog, but they will also provide food for all species by allowing mussels and other marine organisms to anchor to them. As sport divers, we actually see this process unfold. The NJCDC would volunteer to aid in monitoring the status of the cars through our members’ divers. I include with this testimony excerpts from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Reef Program’s Reef News 2002 that give documentation of the activities on and benefits of these artificial reefs.
The massive sand replenishment project from Sea Bright to Manasquan Inlet has destroyed underwater shoreline hard habitat by burying at least 80 jetties and ten shipwrecks. Each of those jetties and wrecks was an important reef. Another replenishment project from Manasquan Inlet to Seaside Park is expected to bury six more wrecks and many jetties. These subway cars will at least help to replenish some of that lost habitat.
The State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's Division of Fish and Wildlife has completed their research and accepted 400 of these cars. With the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corp of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Coast Guard they have subsequently placed several barge loads on the ocean’s floor off their coast.
I include their press release of June 1, 2001. There are now other East Coast States that are interested in accepting the remainder of the MTA’s offer.
In allowing these "Redbirds" to go to other States we have missed out on a great opportunity to enhance New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program. That they are being delivered to the bottom of the ocean at no charge we are shortchanging the taxpayers of New Jersey by passing up at the very least a portion of the available cars that the New York MTA is offering.
A NEW WRECK on the Shark River Reef - July 23, 2001
APL 31 - From the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard - A 260 foot Barracks Barge!
Now known as "Jack's Spot" for Jack Myers, a Brick Township
fisherman and also chairman of the state Marine Fisheries Council from 1984 to
1998. Without an engine, it only cost $25,000 to clean and tow (That is lots of
t-shirts divers bought.) Peggy got to witness the sinking from the Outlaw.
Report - it is on it's starboard side by about 70 degrees, sand at 125 feet.
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12/01 - New York has been working to have artificial reefs in NY waters protected as Artificial Reef Management Areas
We need Diver concerns in writing this new NY proposal!
See Jack Fullmer letter (NJCDC
Legislation Director) below-
(12/26/01 - LIDA will meet with Steve Heins in January.)
- - -
As some of you know, New York has been working to have artificial reefs in NY
waters protected as Artificial Reef Management Areas. In the beginning
(November) they were calling these Special Management Areas.
LIDA (Long Island Divers Assoc.) has
been working to allow divers to continue their access and NJ Council of Diving
Clubs has joined with LIDA to this end. We have gotten spearfishing
added to the 'taking of fish' but we have a way to go. I would like the
wording 'taken by hand' added (and maybe gaff...).
We are now working on the prohibitions to "move, alter, damage or remove
any structure or object'. As with any ruling lately, it doesn't
explicitly state that divers could anchor into the wreck without being
law-breakers - (the NY state guy, Steve Heins, says the ruling wasn't meant to
be a problem for divers but we have seen how that goes down the line....)
Or that we could take an artifact off a purposely sunk vessel. (See below)
If you dive in NY waters, you might want to add your comments (address below) - they have refused to have a
hearing.
- - -
This is the newest info (12/18) from NY on their reef protection areas.
I had them convert it to a word.doc since their word perfect file was messed
up in several places during conversion. And I have added some information from
Steve Heins that was sent to Paula Jerman of LIDA at the bottom.
---------------
Section 40.7 Special Management Areas
(Statutory Authority: ECL 3-0301(2)(m); ECL 13-0360)
(a) Definitions.
(1) artificial reef - a hard structure deliberately placed in a marine or
coastal water body for the purpose of imitating environmental conditions found
on natural underwater rock outcroppings, shellfish reefs, or coral reefs.
(2) wreck - an abandoned shipwreck which occurred through an accidental
circumstance or deliberate scuttling or sinking that was not part of
artificial reef construction activities.
(3) natural reef - a naturally occurring and persistent hard structure
formation composed of rock or rocks, gravel or hard-packed sediment, which
generally rises above the surrounding sea floor and supports or is
capable of supporting a marine ecosystem dependent upon hard-bottom habitat.
(4) special management area - an area of the marine and coastal district
in which artificial reefs, wrecks and/or natural reefs are located, so
designated by this Part, within which the rules and regulations restricting
the taking of fish, shellfish and crustaceans may be different from those
regulations outside of the bounds.
(5) artificial reef management area - a special management area
surrounding and including an artificial reef;
(6) spearfishing - taking of fish using any penetrating device or spear,
including mechanical or pneumatic spear guns , but not powerheads or
explosive-tipped spears.
(7) the Race - The area known as the Race shall have the same meaning as
set forth in 6NYCRR Part 44.1(i).
(b) PURPOSE. The purposes of this section shall be to provide
controls on the taking of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in defined areas
that contain artificial reefs, natural reefs and/or wrecks, consistent with
state, federal and interstate management plans and with the marine fisheries
conservation and management policy set forth in Section 13-0105 of the ECL,
and to protect the physical structure and ecological
integrity of artificial reefs, natural reefs and wrecks and their associated
marine habitat.
(c) Prohibitions within all Special Management Areas (SMAs).
(1)Within the bounds of any and all SMAs, no person, other than an authorized
agent of the Department, shall:
(a) possess, set, use or operate any net of any kind, except for a
hand-operated net used in the landing of fish legally taken by angling;
(b) possess, use or operate any dredge of any kind;
(c) possess, set, use or operate setlines, longlines or any hook-and-line gear
other than hand-held gear used for angling;
(2) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the transportation of
lawfully possessed fishing gear or fish over the waters of any special
management zone.
(d) Artificial Reef Management Areas.
(1) Designation of Artificial Reef Management Areas. All Department-managed
artificial reefs within state marine and coastal waters, including the area
within 500 feet of the bounds of these artificial reefs, are designated as
artificial reef management areas, or ARMAs. A description and location
of these artificial reefs is given in 6NYCRR, Section 40.6 (f), which is
incorporated herein by this reference.
(2) Prohibitions within Artificial Reef Management Areas.
In addition to the prohibitions in paragraph (c) of this section, within the
bounds of any and all ARMAs, no person, other than an authorized agent of the
Department, shall:
(i) move, alter, damage or remove any
structure or object, other than personal property;
(ii) take any fish by any means, other than by angling or spearfishing;
(iii) possess, set, use or operate traps or pots of any kind.
(e) Designation of other Special Management Areas.
(1) Fishers Island Special Management Area (FISMA). The FISMA is a
special management area which includes extensive areas of natural reefs, and
which is described by the following bounds: all New York State waters north
and east of Fishers Island to the New York-Connecticut and New York-Rhode
Island state boundary lines and within one mile of the south and west shores
of Fishers Island.
(2) Special requirements for taking of lobsters in FISMA.
(i) No person, other than the holder of a New York State non-commercial
lobster permit, shall fish, set or use any lobster pots or possess any
American lobsters, Homarus americanus, within the FISMA without first
obtaining a FISMA permit from the Department. The Department shall furnish
forms for application for such permit. Any person who is legally
eligible to take lobsters from the FISMA for commercial purposes
and who holds the requisite New York State commercial lobster permit
provided for by section 13-0329 of the ECL is eligible to apply for the FISMA
permit. Any person requesting a FISMA permit must furnish the Department
with their commercial lobster permit before being issued the FISMA permit.
The holder of a FISMA permit may take and land lobsters only from the FISMA,
and not from any other waters.
(ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of 6NYCRR Part 44, the holder of a
FISMA permit may set, use or otherwise fish a total of not more than five
hundred (500) lobster pots within the waters of the FISMA at any one time.
(iii) No lobster pot may be placed in the waters of FISMA unless it bears a
tag issued by the Department or an authorized agent of the Department for the
year in which the pot is fished. New tags shall be
issued annually. Such trap tags shall be issued consistent with the
provisions of 6NYCRR Part 44, except that FISMA permit holders shall
receive tags for no more than 500 pots or the maximum number of pots
which they are permitted to fish under the rules of the Department or the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission at the time in effect whichever is
lower (plus replacement tags for lost gear as provided in
6NYCRR Part 44). FISMA trap tags may not be used to fish outside FISMA
waters, and no FISMA permitholder shall receive or use trap tags to fish in
any other waters.
(iv) Between the dates of September 15 and October 15, and between the dates
of April 1 and May 15, all FISMA permit holders must remove all lobster pots
from the waters of the FISMA. The department may, by written direction
of the Chief of the Bureau of Marine Resources, require removal of lobster
pots from the waters of the FISMA during two alternate periods of four to six
weeks to reflect changes in lobster molting and spawning seasons.
(v) Not more than two lobster pots may be attached to any single buoyed line,
also known as a trawl, within the FISMA, except that three lobster pots may be
attached to a trawl within that portion of the Race that falls within the
FISMA.
(vi) FISMA permits shall be non-transferrable, and not assignable,
except that a FISMA permit may be transferred to an immediate family member
who has also received by transfer the New York State commercial lobster permit
from the same person, as authorized by the Environmental Conservation Law.
(vii) FISMA permits shall expire on December 31, and new permits must be
issued annually. In calendar year 2001, such permits will be issued to
any qualified applicant. Thereafter, such permits will be issued only to
persons who held them in the preceding year.
- - -
This needs to be addressed BEFORE January 7, 2002
NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation
Bureau of Marine Resources Attn: SMAs
205 Belle Mead Rd, Suite 1
East Setauket, NY 11733
Phone - (631) 444-0430 Fax (631) 444-0434
- - - - - - -
Clarifications by Steve Hein
(THAT SHOULD BE IN THE WRITTEN RULING! - it doesn't help what their intent was
5 yrs from now if this guy is gone and they enforce to the letter of the law.
- Peggy)
You'll notice that the proposed regs do allow spear fishing, just not with
powerheads. Does anybody use powerheads around here? The notice that was
sent out failed to make it clear that spear fishing
would be allowed.
Also, there was no intent to prohibit anchoring, use of a grappling
device, or "tying in" to a wreck or reef. If you think
there is a problem, I'll look into what we can do about it. Also, the
artifact thing didn't
come up, either, mainly because the "wrecks" we put on our reefs
don't have much in the way of artifacts. We were looking to stop
activities that destroyed reef structure and habitat.
These regulations would only apply to the areas designated by the rule, which
include the DEC-managed reef sites in State waters and the Fishers Island
Special Management Area. Wrecks outside the reef sites and reef sites
beyond the three-mile limit are not covered.
The reef sites covered include: Shinnecock, Moriches, Fire Island,
Smithtown Bay, Matinecock, Kismet, Fisherman, Fishing Line and Rockaway.
Not covered are Atlantic Beach and Hempstead Town.
-----------------
Jack's comments on the NY State proposal
---------------------------
Attached is the final testimony sent to NY Dept Environmental Conservation on
Special Management Areas. Sport divers need to be very careful when
addressing the issue of taking items off shipwrecks or artificial reefs. Never
refer to these items as "artifacts" as that suggests something of
historic value, and few recoveries fit that definition, especially not on
artificial reefs. Artifacts is a charged word. Always use
"items" or "souvenirs."
We should defend shipwrecks against massive sand replenishment projects and
dumping mud on shipwrecks, but I don't expect marine fisheries will help us
much with that political football.
Jack Fullmer
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
12/18/01
NYS D.E.C.
205 Belle Mead Rd, Suite 1
East Setauket, NY 11733
TESTIMONY – SMAs and ARTIFICIAL REEFS
With regard to Part II – Proposed Regulations in notice dated November 5,
2001, designating all Artificial Reefs as SMAs, and with regards to proposal
to revise Section 40.7 (Special Management Areas) and change regulations
regarding Fishers Islands Special Management Area, the 24 clubs of the New
Jersey Council of Diving Clubs, with its three member clubs from New York
State (New York City Sea Gypsies, Staten Island Sport Divers, and Rockland
Aquanauts), make the following comments:
The sport diving clubs strongly object to wording that came out in the Nov 5th
notice that says: “No person may take fish by any other means other than by
angling.” For 50 years the sport diving community has taken lobster
and fish from the wrecks and artificial reefs of New York and New Jersey.
Sport Divers have helped sponsor the sinking of many artificial reefs in
both states. There is at least an 80 million dollar
recreational sport diving industry in New York that is largely dependent on
underwater fishing (spearfishing).
By what right does your agency have to make shipwrecks and artificial reefs
the exclusive preserve of hook and line fishermen when these reefs have
historically been the domain of all recreational and some
commercial fishing? There was no statement in this regulation that it
intended to devastate the sport diving fishery, but that, in fact, would be
the result if this wording is correct and passes. I have also been
told that this wording was in error, and that spearfishing is included in
allowable activities on SMAs and artificial reefs. A latter version sent
to me by your agency does appear to include spearfishing on
artificial reefs and I do hope that that is correct.
By the way, hook and line fishing has left many shipwrecks looking like
Christmas trees with monofilament line all over the wreck. These lost rigs
continue to catch fish and divers often cut fish loose. I am not
suggesting any regulations, but pointing out that your concept of what fishing
methods are good or bad for SMAs may be a little distorted or biased.
The NJCDC is also confused as to where these special management areas are
located as they certainly are not marked on the surface of the water.
Please send us the exact location along with the exact
boundaries (all four corners) of your 500 foot perimeters of everything you
consider to be a SMA in New York State Marine waters. This must include
all shipwrecks, all artificial reefs, and each and every rock
that you consider a SMA. Please send in Loran C (to the 10th of a
microsecond) and in GPS (to a thousandth of a decimal minute) as these are the
accepted norms for giving locations over water.
Your blanket statement that no person may move, alter, damage or remove
any structure or object from an artificial reef is far too general and ignores
reality. Party boats slip their anchor and drag into the
artificial reefs or wrecks. In trying to get the anchor loose, they may do
minor damage. Dive boats and fishing boats often grapple into a reef or
wreck and could conceivably do minor damage. Dive boats are forced to
anchor on the reef or wreck so that the diver does not end up over a sand
bottom with little visibility and unable to find the wreck, and this is a
safety issue! Lobster boats often snag a wreck and do minor
damage in pulling the trap out. Commercial fishing boats (Trawlers,
Scallop Dredges, etc) inadvertently plow into wrecks and reefs all the time
with their heavy equipment and do major damage, but this may not be
intentional. If you do not allow for inadvertent damage, the regulations
will make law violators out of all user groups.
Sport divers have traditionally taken small items (brass fasteners, lost
sinkers, lost fishing poles, valves, lost anchors, other small items) off
artificial reefs, as this is part and parcel of the sport diving scene and
does no harm and adds to the sport. We do not want this to be made illegal!
Taking these items would not harm the reef as the vessel had been stripped
prior to sinking. Removing the lead sinkers will help the environment.
Commercial salvage of an artificial reef for the metal of the wreck should not
be permitted, as this would defeat the purpose for which the artificial reef
was put there – habitat value. Since I haven’t heard of any
commercial salvage of any artificial reef by any commercial salvage firm, it
is suggested that you delete this entire section of the proposed regulation
until such time as it actually becomes a relevant problem.
Sport divers do all their underwater fishing and exploring on natural rocks,
artificial reefs, and wrecks, as there is little or nothing of interest over a
barren sand bottom. All of the diving areas visited by
sport divers would probably fit in your blanket definition of Special
Management Areas. We object to your blanket definition of
shipwrecks, natural rocks, and artificial reefs as Special Management Areas in
which special rules apply, as that is much too inclusive and includes all the
areas that we visit. The definition is far too encompassing and may
include much of New York’s ocean waters.
Even if you mean only those rocks, artificial reefs and wrecks that you have
specifically named as SMAs and given locations (which I don’t see), the
idea of creating special rules for specific areas is something that could make
marine fisheries extremely complicated for fishermen if you have to change
rules every time you change location, and the whole concept may flawed.
Furthermore, lobstermen have traditionally set traps on rocks and around
shipwrecks for the last 100 years, and around artificial reefs more recently.
Since lobsters are only found near rocks, wrecks, and artificial reefs and
other hard structure, the proposed regulation would appear to be grossly
unfair to Lobstermen that are already reeling from disease problems in New
York Sound. Commercial
net fishermen use traps and nets near shipwrecks and rocks to take Blackfish
(Tautog) and other ground fish which are associated with hard habitat.
You would be closing down entire traditional fisheries by describing
rocks and wrecks as SMAs and prohibiting any nets or traps near them.
Finally, when the Long Island Divers Association received the Nov 5th
proposed rule at the Nov 28th hearing on Lobsters, they were given a proposed
rule with wording that did not agree with the proposed rule I was sent. When
Peggy Bowen (another director of the NJCDC) requested a copy of the proposed
rule, she received wording that differed from both the other versions.
How are we supposed to know what version is the version you are really
considering? Don’t you have a docket or proposal number to identify
the proposals?
Another observation is that this proposal would have benefited much from a
committee consisting of representatives of all the different user groups of
your so-called SMAs to advise you prior to proposing
regulations. It would also have benefited from a hearing. If you
had done that, you may not now be facing a lawsuit concerning the Fischer
Island emergency regulation and a lot of potential lawsuits if you let
this go through unchanged. My guess is that the user groups were not
consulted, and that whoever wrote these proposed regulations has never seen a
shipwreck, a submerged rock reef, or artificial reef underwater.
The artificial reefs were specifically built to be fully utilized by all
fishermen, not to be overly protected to the point that the normal users would
become law violators.
The NJCDC respectfully request that you extend the comment period and schedule
a hearing on this proposal. Another approach would be to withdraw the
proposal and start over again forming a committee of the user groups to advise
you.
Sincerely
Jack Fullmer
Legislative Committee Chairman
PS. What you need to do is protect shipwrecks and natural rock reefs
from massive sand replenishment projects that have been burying them in record
numbers in the replenishment areas near the beach (killing
everything on the wreck), while the COE contracted dredges have been
pulverizing shipwrecks in the borrow areas! This has become a serious
problem in New Jersey with at least 10 wrecks destroyed so far.
March 2001 - It seems now that Clean Ocean Action and the American Littoral Society have found that the subway cars have asbestos in them. They sent out a press release. They didn't send one to the New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs or Jersey Coast Anglers Assoc. And it wasn't an oversight! What is happening? They don't want us to know until a reporter calls to ask us questions on their press release? This is going further than these subway cars..... The Atlantic City Press is again pushing for stopping ALL artificial reef placements. Guess we will have to just dive that wonderful pumped sand!
The NJ Gov. Task Force met on April 9th (Peggy was on the task force). There are standards for Artificial Reefs - I just don't have the latest one, both the new state and the federal standards are done but not released for comment yet. A question has come up about the asbestos in the subway cars (and in ships). But if the subway cars have been in use in subway tunnels all this time, did the asbestos hurt the people riding in the subway cars every day? UPDATE April 2001 - some of the subway cars will be going to Maryland and other states but not New Jersey or New York. UPDATE - August 2001 -- subway cars sunk in Delaware.
November
2000 - Clean Ocean Action wondered if the 1,300 subway cars being
offered by NY Transit to the NY and NJ Artificial Reefs would be a form of
'trashing' the ocean. We sent out some information by e-mail and all the
divers and fishermen that responded approved of putting the cleaned, free
subway cars in the ocean at reef sites. Herb Segars is
letting us use one of his pictures that shows a Philadelphia subway car after
10 years on the bottom (click here
to go to Herb's website to see more.). It does show marine life ON the cars, not the
barren metal people have been led to believe. We discussed this topic at the
November 2000 Dive Council Meeting.