The Monroe County Artificial Reefs Department deployed 10 power poles to a new reef area about 16 nautical miles northeast of Key West in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The concrete power poles were received from two sources, including the Florida Keys Electric Co-op’s Sea Oats Beach project in Islamorada. The poles were stacked in three layers to increase vertical relief and provide spaces of different sizes. The site is about 40 feet deep. When weather conditions improve, the remaining 35 poles will be deployed to the same site to create two more patch reefs. After that, additional structures of different shapes and sizes will be added to the site to increase habitat complexity and space for marine life. The program is entirely funded through a grant from the state of Florida.
“It was very exciting being topside to watch the deployment and even more thrilling to see the structures hosting marine life, including schools of fish and cobia, just a few days later when we conducted our post-deployment dive survey,” said Monroe County Artificial Reefs Director Hanna Koch. “This site will be part of a network of artificial reef sites in this area that aims to support various ecosystem and economic-related services.”
In August 2023, Monroe County was awarded $10 million from the state to start an artificial reefs program in the Florida Keys. In June 2024, the state awarded an additional $5 million for the program. Artificial reefs can provide long-term, stable, quality habitat to marine life, take pressure off local natural reefs, and provide new fishing and diving opportunities.
Florida has more than 4,000 artificial reefs, and Monroe County recently joined the 37 coastal counties that already have an artificial reef program. In the Florida Keys, 62 artificial reefs, including wrecks, were placed mainly between 1982 and 1989. The most recent artificial reef placed in Florida Keys waters was the Vandenberg off Key West in 2009. Koch plans to apply a science-based and ecosystem-focused approach to designing, deploying and evaluating artificial reef materials in the Florida Keys.
More information is at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/reefs.
