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Artificial reef to support, increase marine habitat off Louisiana coast E-mail
Construction began today on a one-acre artificial reef that will support oyster reef habitat and increase the supply of valuable finfish for Louisiana fishermen.

The reef, Redfish Point, is located in western Vermilion Bay, just south of Intracoastal City, La. Redfish Point was once a very productive reef, but has deteriorated in recent years.

“Restoration of the reef will help with our coastal erosion problem and should help to bring back the abundant fisheries that existed in that part of Vermilion Bay for many years. Restoration of this reef has become even more critical after damages caused by Hurricane Rita's storm surge and wave action,” said Paul Bourgeois Jr. of Abbeville, reef coordinator for Vermilion CCA.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, along with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Lafayette Office), is coordinating the building of Redfish Point. The reef project received a huge boost when Shell Oil Co. announced its donation of $100,000 to the reef. Funding has also been provided by CCA Louisiana, Matt Durand Construction, and NAPA Auto Parts.

"At Shell, we care about the communities in which our employees live and work, and we are committed to the Gulf Coast region," said Hasting Stewart, manager of social investment at Shell Oil Company. "Through our Louisiana Wetlands initiative, we emphasize conservation and education. That's why we are proud to support preservation efforts by CCA."

“Building this reef is exciting because it will improve our marine habitat, which is good for our coast—and for Louisiana fishermen. We are very grateful to the organizations and people that have helped make the Redfish Point project a reality,” said CCA Louisiana Reef Coordinator John Walther of Houma.

Jeff Angers, executive director of CCA Louisiana, said the reef will benefit Louisiana’s growing recreational fishing industry, which has an annual impact of over $1.25 billion on the state’s economy.

“Good fishing conditions attract more anglers and more fishing trips. This translates into more money being pumped into the Louisiana economy through purchases of boats, trailers, fishing camps, fuel, tackle, bait and many other items. Over the past decade, coastal Louisiana has experienced a boom of motels, restaurants and residential developments dedicated to recreational fishing. The Redfish Point reef is a long-term project, which will make this important area even more attractive to anglers,” Angers said.

The reef is constructed of approximately 3,500 tons of limestone, the material of choice for the creation of reefs such as one on Bird Island in Terrebonne Bay. The limestone was transported directly to Vermilion from Matt Durand Materials’ quarry in Missouri via the Mississippi River and Intracoastal Waterway. The reef material was unloaded and placed on the floor of Vermilion Bay (latitude 29.40.37 and longitude 92.07.05) by Matt Durand Contractors.

Oyster reef habitats in the Vermilion Bay system have experienced significant loss through subsidence, coastal erosion and saltwater encroachment. With the continuing efforts of coastal restoration in the state, these projects can reduce coastal erosion and restore hard-bottom habitat where it had previously existed. Oyster reefs provide a diversity of microhabitats that may support complex ecological communities including many species of fish and invertebrates. However, recent studies of natural, restored and artificial reefs indicate that oyster reef communities in many areas are highly diverse and include species not found in adjacent soft-bottom habitats.

CCA and its local chapters are involved in other projects related to marine conservation, including scientific studies, artificial reefs and support of marine law enforcement.
 
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