old tires into the ocean. Federal and 

 state governments require permits for 

 artificial reef construction.) 



Traditionally the state has construc- 

 ted artificial reefs out of old tires, con- 

 crete rubble and ships. But tires are ex- 

 pensive in terms of manpower, and it's 

 difficult to transport heavy concrete 

 rubble to the dumping sites. Some 

 states have even used old cars, but 

 they deteriorate too quickly. Brown 

 says ships offer the most shelter and 

 extend the greatest distance above the 

 ocean floor. 



The newest addition to the state's 

 artificial reefs will be a World War II 

 Liberty ship. In 1972 Congress made 

 the Liberty ships available to states for 

 reef projects. But stripping, towing 

 and demolition costs run high. The 

 ships must be taken out of storage at 

 the Maritime Reserve Fleet in Virginia 

 and cleaned to meet Environmental 

 Protection Agency standards. All 

 grease, oil and floating objects must be 

 removed. In some cases, the ships must 

 be cut down to facilitate passage of 

 other vessels overhead once the vessel 

 is sunk. The value of the scrap metal 

 was once 'used to offset the cost of 

 preparing the ship for sinking. But the 

 value of the scrap has dropped, and it 

 is no longer economical to cut ships 

 down. 



The state must contract with a firm 

 to tow the ship — probably about 

 $40,000. In all. Brown estimates it will 

 cost $100,000 to $140,000 to sink the 

 Liberty ship off the Carteret County 

 coast. 



But the Division of Marine 

 Fisheries' 1984 budget for artificial 

 reef construction and maintenance was 

 approximately $120,000 — not nearly 

 enough to cover the cost of such pro- 

 jects. From 1973 to 1977, one-eighth of 

 a percent of the unrebated boater-paid 

 road tax on gasoline was allocated for 

 artificial reef construction. The tax 

 provided as much as $275,000 per year 

 for man-made reefs. But, in 1977 the 

 legislature abolished that tax. Division 

 of Marine Fisheries officials hope the 

 expanded Dingell-Johnson bill will 

 help fill in the gaps. 



This Liberty ship was sponsored by 

 the Carteret County Chamber of Com- 

 merce. And cash has flowed in from 

 fishing clubs, local businesses and from 

 individuals as far away as Anchorage, 

 Alaska. In addition, the legislature 

 allocated $100,000 for the project. 



Brown believes the investment will 

 be worth it. "If you increase the num- 



ber of fish, that carries over into the 

 economy of the state. It's like putting 

 a big deposit in the bank and then liv- 

 ing off the dividends," he says. "From 

 that day forward, we'll be drawing 

 returns from the fishermen who spend 

 a lot of money getting there and then 

 fishing." 



Brown cites a study of reefs in South 

 Carolina. For every dollar spent in 

 construction of the reef, approximately 

 $10 is returned annually to the 

 economy. 



The Japanese invest millions of 

 dollars in artificial reef research each 

 year. Their program is so advanced 

 that they actually develop special reefs 

 for particular types of fish. They've 

 found that the way a reef is put 

 together and the complexity it has 



Photo by Mark Hooper 



determine which fish make it home. 



It won't take long for North 

 Carolina fishermen to see a return on 

 the investment in the Liberty ship. 

 Within days after it settles on the 

 ocean floor, a food chain will begin to 

 develop, says Ross. At first, some fish 

 will be attracted simply because 

 there's an object in the water column. 



Then, encrusting organisms such as 

 barnacles attach themselves to the 

 hull. Eventually, algae grows if the 

 water is clear and currents aren't too 

 strong. At the same time, fish begin to 

 move in, hiding in the nooks and cran- 

 nies and nibbling on the slime 

 collecting on the hull. The housing pro- 

 ject nears its completion when fish 

 such as king and Spanish mackerel. 

 Continued on next page 



Artificial reefs attract small bait fish and, in turn, larger fish 



