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Choose-up Stick Model Synthetic Reef Constructed off of Alabama Coast
Synthetic reefs are nothing new to the Gulf of Mexico. From deserted oil rigs to vintage avenue vehicles, the Gulf is peppered with man-made buildings that serves as a refuge for baitfish and feeding sportfish.
However have you ever ever heard of previous phone poles getting used to type a reef? That’s what Alabama Energy and the Alabama Division of Conservation and Pure Assets has achieved simply in 90 toes of water off the Alabama coast.
The reef was an addition to the Christopher M. Blankenship Reef Zone, which spans 65 miles and is situated between 10 and 20 miles off the coast.
The reef is the fourth one constructed by Alabama Energy and consists of transmission poles and metal lattice from transmission towers.
Jason Carlee is Alabama Energy’s Supervisor of Water Discipline Companies within the Environmental Affairs Division. Carlee mentioned the poles had been deployed by the Reefmaker, which is a reef-building boat out of Orange Seashore, AL. “The purpose was to stack the poles in a crisscross sample, sort of like Choose Up Sticks, to get some reduction and never simply mendacity flat on the underside,” he mentioned. There are additionally some transmission tower segments among the many poles. There’s a number of floor space on these concrete poles for barnacles and different marine life to get that reef complicated began.”
Craig Newton is MRD’s Synthetic Reef Coordinator. Newton oversees Alabama’s Gulf reef zones that cowl greater than 1,200 sq. miles. “We developed a mutually helpful partnership with Alabama Energy, they usually repurposed these concrete energy poles and different supplies to assemble this extra reef within the Blankenship Reef Zone that considerably elevated the range of habitat sorts which are out there to the reef fish in that space,” Newton mentioned. “The concrete poles present a novel habitat that’s completely different from the 25-foot-tall concrete pyramids in that there are extra nooks and crannies for fish, crabs and invertebrates to hunt refuge and inhabit. It’s an exceptionally various reef habitat in 90 toes of water.
Newton went on to say, “I’m unsure children right this moment would know what Choose Up Sticks are, however, for those who can, image a configuration that resembles Choose Up Sticks in the way in which these concrete poles had been deployed. Along with the facility poles, sections of a transmission tower had been deployed adjoining to and on high of the facility poles. That gives increased vertical reduction and likewise a big variety of small, interstitial areas.”
Newton mentioned the reef shall be prime habitat for pink snapper, Alabama’s signature reef species, in addition to grey triggerfish and grey (mangrove) snapper.
The reef is predicted to primarily produce grey snapper. Grey snapper choose tight quarters, which the facility pole configuration provides. Along with grey snapper, the reef ought to be enticing to pink snapper and triggerfish. A extremely sought-after offshore sportfish off the coast of Alabama is the better amberjack, nevertheless, the reef is a bit too shallow to be thought of a main amberjack reef. Newton holds out hope that the reef will produce amberjack when the best situations current themselves.
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