Draft of the "Artificial Reef Management Plan for New Jersey"
The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has released a draft copy of the "Artificial Reef Management Plan for New Jersey" (link below) for review and comment. Since 1984, the Department’s Artificial Reef Program has undertaken an intensive ocean reef-building effort. Over this time, the policies and procedures of the program have been guided by the original Reef Plan, which was published in 1987. We recognize that the original plan needs to be updated and a revised version reflecting 17 years of experience, planning, building and managing reefs, be adopted.
The draft plan is thorough and comprehensive. It covers all aspects of this multi-faceted program, including objectives, history, benefits, site selection, and other important considerations of a successful artificial reef program. Throughout the history of New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program the Department has monitored materials used in reef construction to evaluate their stability, durability and effectiveness as fisheries habitat. We fully intend to continue monitoring and evaluating reefs established under the old plan and reefs that will be built, in the future, under the new proposed Reef Plan.
The Reef Program has proven to be a valuable asset to New Jersey’s marine fisheries resources. For this reason, we want to ensure that in the future, New Jersey’s reef building efforts are guided by a comprehensive plan that considers the interests and concerns of all user groups and experiences of other states. To this end, we are requesting your review of the document and welcome your comments and suggestions.
In providing specific comments, please reference the page or section number in the plan to which you are referring. When your review is complete, send your written comments by December 6, 2004, to:
Bill Figley, Reef Coordinator
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
P.O. Box 418
Port Republic, NJ 08241
Draft Artificial Reef Management Plan for New Jersey (pdf, 1.3mb)
Some
files on this site require adobe acrobat pdf reader to view.