Sept. 23, 2002 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been asked to approve a request from the V.I. government to create a new artificial reef off the coast of St. John and to extend an existing reef off St. Thomas.
The Fish and Wildlife Division of the Planning and Natural Resources Department wants to build the new reef less than a mile northwest of Pillsbury Sound between St. Thomas and St. John. And it wants to add material to the existing reef southeast of Saba Island.
Artificial reefs bring several benefits, Barbara Kojis, Fish and Wildlife director, said. They provide a means to dispose of old and damaged vessels and concrete demolition debris, reduce nautical hazards and attract fish.
"An artificial reef can increase fish habitats five to 10 times" in an area, Kojis said.
She said the proposed new reef off St. John is not far from a site that had been approved earlier but then became off limits when President Bill Clinton extended the underwater national monument around Lameshur Bay.
To create an artificial reef, carefully screened and cleaned debris is sunk to a depth of more than 100 feet in an area away from identified sea lanes. The depth must be sufficient to protect the reef from shifts in currents that can be caused by storms and hurricanes. The sinking of up to one million cubic yards of debris is being proposed for each of the two reefs.
Divers who have inspected the reef that's proposed for expansion say there are signs of life beginning to thrive there, with red, brown and green algae, scattered sponges and soft-coral gorgonians starting to grow. Once a food supply is established at a reef, Kojis said, fish begin moving in, looking for sustenance, instead of swimming by as they would when the area was nothing but sandy bottom.
"Enhancement of recreational fishing activities" is given on the Fish and Wildlife permit application as the primary reason for wanting to create and extend the reefs.
The application says the artificial reef work will utilize donated wooden and fiberglass derelict vessels and other materials such as concrete and steel that will be cleaned in compliance with environmental law. Once the new reef and the extended one are in place, Fish and Wildlife officials said, the division will monitor the sites on a yearly basis.
According to Kojis, "it's hard to say" when or where the first artificial reef was formed in the Virgin Islands, since individuals were sinking ships in offshore waters before the government got involved. In the area of Thatch Cay, there used to be an artificial reef formed with used rubber tires. But that type of reef isn't being built much anymore, she said, because the tires tend to drift away after a while.
The V.I. government has established two other artificial reefs, one near Buck Island off St. Thomas and one near Butler Bay off St. Croix. Parts of the old Frederiksted pier and several ships that were wrecked during Hurricane Marilyn have been recycled into artificial reefs, Kojis said.
She said Fish and Wildlife considered the idea of expanding the St. Thomas Buck Island site but decided against it when monitoring discovered a natural, living reef nearby. Marine scientists now are conducting side-scan sonar testing to ensure that the proposed artificial reefs won't endanger natural undersea resources.
DPNR's Coastal Zone Management Division already has approved the Fish and Wildlife application to expand the artificial reef program. If the Army Corps approves it, too, Fish and Wildlife will have up to 10 years to collect reef material, clean it according to standards and drop it at the designated sites.
So far, Kojis said, Fish and Wildlife hasn't identified any derelict vessels or demolition debris for use in the project. Once it's fully approved, she said, the division can use its discretion.
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