by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Waterways Commission didn’t have enough members present for Thursday’s meeting to meet a quorum, therefore nothing was voted on. However, the Commission did hear about two items that affect the entire area — one that will boost the local fishing for decades to come, one that may be a bad omen for the St. Johns River this summer.
By the end of August, “Bunny’s Web” — the first artificial reef constructed in almost 10 years — will be sitting about five miles offshore near the Duval/St. Johns county line. Vince Seibold, chief of the City’s Environmental Quality Division, said the has $100,000 with which to gather material, find a contractor and deploy the concrete that will comprise the reef. He said half of the money is coming from the State in the form of an Artificial Reef Grant Fund through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission while the City is providing the other half. Most of the reef will be constructed using 38 concrete artificial reef balls currently at Mandarin High and concrete cross ties from East Coast Railroad. Seibold said a majority of the cost involved in constructing an artificial reef is in deployment since much of the material is donated.
“This is a collaboration of three departments — Planning, Recreation and the Environmental Quality Division,” said Seibold, whose division will oversee the deployment and development of the reef.
Overall, the City has been permitted for 21 new artificial reefs over the next several years. He said the first location was chosen using a points system. The site was deemed favorable because it’s both close to shore and about equidistant from ocean access in Duval and St. Johns counties.
In addition to boosting the local fishing industry, the 21 new reefs figure to help the economy as well. According to a 2000-2001 socioeconomic study of reefs in Southeast Florida done by the State and NOAA, in four counties (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe) reefs accounted for $1.4 billion in sales and 71,300 jobs.
Seibold said marine life tends to start forming on an artificial reef within a short period of time. However, how long it takes for the reef to hold fish is determined by several factors, many of which are variable.
While the resurgence of the City’s artificial reef program is good news, an observation made by Dr. Quinton White of Jacksonville University over the weekend is potentially bad news.
“I am concerned because there is already an algae bloom on Lake George (a tributary of the St. Johns River in Orange Park),” said White, director of JU’s Marine Research Institute. “It’s pretty extensive and it’s pea green. It’s very early.”
White said the bloom “acts a lot like” the one that saw huge areas of the St. Johns River turn green just a couple of years ago. He also said the bloom is especially alarming given the time of year and the type of weather Northeast Florida has been experiencing.
“If this continues, it’s a problem we will worry about the rest of the year. This has not been a warm spring. In fact, it’s been a cool spring.”
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