LDWF, CCA’s Building Conservation Trust, and partners to build “Finfish Reef”
The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and CCA’s Building Conservation Trust, will begin construction later this week on a new artificial reef in Calcasieu Lake.
The new reef, to be called “Finfish Reef,” will be about 2 miles west of Commissary Point, in about 6 feet of water, and will be easily reachable with a short boat ride from numerous boat launches and marinas around Big Lake. CCA will deploy more than 2,000 tons of recycled crushed concrete over roughly 5 acres. The placement of the material will be designed to optimize bottom contours and water conditions. In these depths, it is likely that a diverse range of species could call the reef home, especially oysters, which have been diminished in Big Lake in recent years. Other species like specks, reds and flounder are sure to follow.
Funding for this project was provided by CCA’s Building Conservation Trust, along with matching funds from LDWF’s Artificial Reef Trust Fund. Additional funding was provided by members of CCA’s REEF Club. In-kind labor was provided by DLS Energy. Materials were donated by Road Rock Recycling.
In addition, a very special gift was made to the project from the estate of Eddy and Mary Ann Dever. Eddy and Mary Ann were regulars on the Lake who lived and loved all parts of the Calcasieu estuary while fishing, crabbing, shrimping and enjoying time with friends. They are described by those who knew them as “the life of the party.” The new reef will sustain and rebuild critical habitat in the Lake, and their friends believe this is a perfect way to honor their memory.
Finfish will be the 7th CCA reef completed in Calcasieu/Cameron recently. In March, CCA’s REEF Louisiana Program completed the West Cameron 45 Reef, south of Holly Beach, replacing oil and gas platforms that had been removed. In recent years, CCA has completed 5 other inshore reefs in Calcasieu Lake, including Turner’s Bay Reef, the Brad Vincent Reefs (Phases I & II) and the “Big Jack” Lawton Reefs (Phases I & II).
This will be the 30th individual reef project CCA has completed since 2007, comprising 36 unique reefs. In the past year alone, CCA built the Green Monster Reef in Plaquemines Parish, the Bay Marchand Block 3 Reef, the South Timbalier Block 51 Reef, the Z.T. “Jack” Cart Reef in Vermilion Block 69, and West Cameron 45.
The project should take less than a week to complete. Once construction is done, CCA will publish the reef coordinates. For more information on CCA or our REEF Louisiana Program, and a GPS listing of all our projects, visit here.