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The Ocean City Reef Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, was founded in 1997 just after the state of Maryland dropped it’s artificial reef program from the budget. Because fishers and divers alike were seeing great success on state-built reefs such as the Blenny, Penrod, & Martin at the African Queen Reef plus incredible success at the Great Eastern Reef and from among several ex-Coast Guard boats at the Bass Grounds, marina owners, the Nichols family, funded and Capt. Greg Hall of Tow Boat US joined in to found the Ocean City Reef Foundation in order to keep Maryland’s Atlantic reef building going.
I sadly report here that OCRF co-founder, Capt. Greg Hall, passed away in late October. The Foundation continues to receive donations in Capt Greg’s honor and will begin building a reef in the southeast corner of Russell’s Reef, five nautical miles from the Ocean City Inlet. We plan to have three 60-foot long barges adjacent to each other in waters shallow enough for even novice scuba enthusiasts. Fishers too will purposefully target “Capt. Greg Hall’s Reef” next summer. Biological success is assured, owing several popular reefs similarly located atop Great Gull Shoal. Nearby are Doug Ake’s Reef, Popp Barge, Big Joe Hall & Apple’s Pyramid Barge. All have supported successful angling effort; some for decades.
Given a short shot of decent weather, Capt. Greg’s Reef should be well begun by the time this article goes to print.
We also lost local fishing legend Capt. Jack Kaeufer this past year. Though a charter skipper in the late 1950s & 60s, Jack’s “Foot Management” business flourished & allowed him the pleasure of taking many folks fishing. Not just skilled friends. Jack introduced many anglers to the pastime he so enjoyed.
On July 28, 2018 the OCRF sank a 65-foot barge near the Al Giles Memorial Reef, establishing the Jack Kaeufer Reef at the Bass Grounds site. Since then, as we repeatedly passed over the barge to get an accurate set of coordinates for sponsors who desire reef charts, I swore I saw fish. And just like that we caught triggerfish the evening Jack’s Reef was sunk. It’s easy to envision several generations of anglers enjoying this new reef.
Jack’s Reef is also one of a dozen or so locations currently being targeted for Reef Blocks. They are such a simple thing. The Nature Conservancy donated two pallets of “Oyster Castles” more than 10-years ago. These interlocking 16-inch square blocks have had incredible success in oyster restoration projects in Virginia’s lower back bays – a phenomenal success.
From those two pallets that were carried offshore a couple dozen at a time aboard the “Morning Star” for coral substrate (not oysters), 10,000 oyster castles were deployed on OCRF reef sites. When the price of castle blocks shot to the moon as BP oil spill monies became available in the Gulf around four years ago, we started using any sort of concrete block. We received mostly overstock or unwanted block that was free for the trucking.
It turns out fish can’t tell the difference between purpose built reef block and from among a myriad of shapes from the block industry.
Now nearing 24,000 blocks, the success of this tiny aspect of our reef building has been undeniable. One type of site chosen for targeting with thousands of blocks is where a reef has scoured in – been lost to sand. A lost reef covered with a thin veneer of sand makes a perfect foundation for a block unit reef and it has.
Another type of site where we’ve had luck with blocks is on barge decks. Smooth steel offers little in the way of complexity for growth to adhere. It’ll come in time, but they don’t offer the surface roughness that we’ve found best for reef success. Simply dropping a couple hundred blocks on a bare steel deck makes the reef explode with life. A couple thousand makes it even better.
There are also a few spots, such as Jimmy Jackson’s Reef at the Bass Grounds or Wolf & Daughters Reef at Kelly’s Reef where we’ve targeted over 300 blocks on a single trip. Deployed precisely from a double anchor spread into a single pile on the bottom, blocks become a stand-alone reef building material.
Patrick Miller’s Eagle Scout project from 2014 was the first of this kind and recently Chris Robinson selected reef building as his Eagle Scout project. He funded block and organized a platoon of volunteers that made a “Morning Star” deployment of about 7 tons at Wolf & Daughters Reef this past fall.
It all adds up. Reef building has undoubtedly changed fishing for the better off Maryland’s coast.
Now to make it better still here’s what we have in store.
Coming shortly, we have our sites on a 110-foot barge located in the Chesapeake Bay. This barge has been ready for months. Patience. It is rare for someone to donate especially seaworthy craft for reef building. Pretty weather is a must for safety. That barge will be sunk at the Jackspot and will be eligible for a “name a reef” contribution.
We also have the aforementioned 3 smaller barges in line for Capt. Greg Hall’s Reef.
Additionally, we have funding in place for a boulder reef at the Bass Grounds. The Nature Conservancy is on board for $50,000. The OCRF could perhaps double that. So far, no contractor has been able and willing, but we’ll find one!
There’s also a newly found steel tug that can be stripped for reef building. What I wouldn’t give to have Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force discover the joy of live fire target practice with their targets becoming reefs.
Between the Navy and Army Corps of Engineers there’s a huge mothballed fleet of old and idled boats and ships costing them money to sit dockside. Cleaning and sinking are expensive procedures, but if perfection in gunnery exercises also created extraordinary coral and fish habitat, perhaps the expense is justified.
Piece by piece – large and small – all our efforts contribute to marine habitat where corals, fish and lobster might flourish.
It’s a project worth doing.
Capt. Monty Hawkins is Captain of the headboat, “Morning Star” and President of the Ocean City Reef Foundation.
