New Digs for Fish at Bunnys Web

Jacksonville was the recipient of a new reef off the beaches of Ponte Vedra when the Reef Ball Development Group came to town to create the Charles H. Kirbo Memorial Reef.  The location for this reef ended up being at a point geographically between the Mayport jetties and the inlet at St. Augustine.  This location was chosen, as Mr. Kirbo, an environmental attorney for the Carter administration (as in President Carter), used to fish the waters in that vicinity. 

The Jacksonville Reef Research Team became involved, and helped in the construction and deployment of over 500 Reef Balls, the largest of which weigh 4,000 pounds.  Reef Balls resemble hollow igloos with holes in them to allow for water and fish to be able to flow through them.  They are designed to mimic natural coral heads, and the concrete contains the same ingredients as natural coral.  Nearby are some concrete culverts that have been home to a large number of mature red snapper and grouper.  It is thought that the Reef Balls will provide either additional habitat for the snapper and grouper, or as a haven for the kinds of fish that they like to feed on. 

The Team is currently involved in a grant with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to monitor the sites at BW to see how this newly placed ecosystem develops.  In a short period of time, it has grown from a desert to an oasis of life.

The Reef Balls represent what will undoubtedly become the first of many deployments utilizing reefs of a designed nature.  FWC has indicated that they are very interested in supporting reefs of these types because they are environmentally friendly, inasmuch as they are made only of concrete, so there are no contaminants with which to be concerned.  In contrast, whenever derelict vessels are deployed, there is a considerable amount of effort required to clean the vessel so it will meet the strict standards set by the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers.  Also, there is the concern for making sure the vessel is not a navigational hazard to shipping, or a hazard for divers as well by having traps that could endanger them.

Designed reefs also serve a valuable community asset as well.  Reef Balls, and others of that nature, such as Fish Havens, can be constructed at a site where Team members and others in the community can help to make a marine habitat.  It is hoped that the Team and the Jacksonville Offshore Sports Fishing Club will obtain some construction forms to begin a reef constructions project together.  Students at Mandarin High School have been involved with making Reef Balls on their campus since the spring of 2000.  All together, they have made over 50 Reef Balls that will be deployed at various locations offshore Jacksonville.  Their project, which won a national environmental award from SeaWorld, is dedicated to providing students with a hands-on way to learn marine science, as well a teaching them stewardship of the ocean.  There is even some thought into making future sites as designated research reefs, and put them under the blanket of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) to allow the Team to do comparisons to these untouched reefs with the surrounding waters.

Since the deployment of the Reef Balls at BW in the summer of 2000, over 25 different kinds of fish have been identified, as well as serving as a haven for a large number of octopus.  The most numerous fish on the reef are black seabass, some of which are exceptionally large.  It is hoped that as the reef matures, it will begin to be the home for a larger variety of fish and to larger more mature fish.  Currently, it is maturing at a rapid rate, already being covered with a thick blanket of sponges, barnacles, tunicates, and a host of other invertebrates.