Article by Capt. Monty Hawkins
The Coastal Fisherman is an advocate for marine conservation and efforts to grow our fisheries. The Ocean City Reef Foundation (a 501(c)3 nonprofit) leads the effort in Maryland to build more artificial reefs since the state dropped its program in 1997. Capt. Monty Hawkins is the President of the Foundation and we asked him to give us an update on what’s going on! Remember the OCRF is funded by donations, so please consider them as you review charitable giving.
Ocean City Reef Foundation
Update 2022
When the State of Maryland sank a barge in 1988 - I watched. Then a year later, they sank a 300’ WWII submarine, the “Blenny”. I watched that too. About that time I also began to see fishing get a lot better at the African Queen Reef where those early reefs had been deployed. More was to come, a couple tugboats were sunk and a barge load of tire units went down too. We also benefited from the Army’s ‘Operation Reef Ex’ where dozens of Vietnam era tanks and armored personnel carriers were dropped on two of our reef sites. With each new piece of artificial reef, I saw fishing change for the better - especially the catching. I learned we could “Make Fish” just about anywhere! You could turn any barren patch of sand into productive fish habitat - just build reef!
Within a decade, however, the state of Maryland dropped the program from their budget in 1997. That year the Nichols family decided to take action and had papers drawn up for a non-profit — the Ocean City Reef Foundation. In the twenty-five years since, this small non-profit has done what it can with limited private funding to better Ocean City’s current and future fishing and diving opportunities.
In the last year OCRF developed several new reef locations! Crocker’s Reef was created with a 200 ft. barge loaded with 220 tons of precast cement. The PJ Aldridge Reef, Nanna & Barry Daub’s Reef at Russell’s Reef, and the Reynolds Florance Memorial Reef were created as well and a big 85 foot tug was sent below in deep water at the Bass Grounds.
Earlier in the year we also created the DP Bishop Barge Reef in shallow water at the Bass Grounds. This 52 x 22 footer was loaded with reef pyramids, blocks, plus many tons of concrete rubble loaded by Absolute Demolition. It’s already a super-sweet reef!
OCRF has also created our own mold for a ‘Reef Pyramid’. This is a two-man lift, boat-deployable reef unit that was designed to capture waste cement in industry.
Atlantic Concrete in Dagsboro, DE was first to use our mold to capture some of their waste product. Then Bear Concrete in Newark, DE got on board and now a large firm near York, PA are all filling these molds on a weekly basis. We even have an Eagle Scout applicant building pyramids and intends to site 50 from the stern of my boat the “Morning Star”.
With our molds now at three major cement plants and producing these reef pyramids, we know the concept of capturing waste cement works. After early winter 22 molds were constructed using a mini fiberglass plant in a donated garage. I am hopeful we can soon distribute OCRF pyramid molds to additional concrete plants to take advantage of their wash-out as well. In a little over a year, we already have dropped more than 400 pyramids and 34,500 concrete reef blocks on the bottom at various reefs.
We also have begun giving reef pyramids to the Maryland Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) to build oyster reef in the Chesapeake Bay. Just this last summer they deployed over 300 pyramids alongside their Reef Ball Artificial Reef Unit Program. Like the pyramids, these three dimensional ‘balls’ create habitat for oysters and fish.
It may be hard for some to fathom, but the true bluewater we used to have offshore has been long lost at inshore spots like the Jack Spot, and today sometimes it is even hard to find it in one hundred fathoms. Those bluewaters were a product of the biofiltered bay waters. When oysters and other filtering organisms remove excess algae & nutrients, estuarine outflows become clear. The Mid-Atlantic bight’s marine waters have grown greener and greener since the 1970s. You need only note how white marlin have moved further & further offshore through the period. The only way to restore bluewater and bluewater species back inside the twenty fathom line is through oyster restoration.
We surely can’t do it all, but we can help. It is doable and today we have fully restored fabulous oyster reefs where three decades ago very few thought we’d ever succeed.
Turn the ocean blue & fill it with fish!
No one’s on salary at the OCRF. Whether fund raising, working with the Army Corps reef permit compliance monitoring or especially getting more substrate on the bottom -- every donation helps build more reef.
Visit ocreefs.org to help. §
