Delaware Artificial Reef Data
Artificial Reefs
Delaware has 14 permitted artificial reef sites in Delaware Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. Cleaned and stable construction materials, boats, and subway cars create new habitat. They support expanded recreational fishing and diving.
Artificial reef programs site, manage and develop reefs, but also have the responsibility to communicate the locations of reef material placements to anglers in order to facilitate enhanced fishing opportunities, one of the major goals of the effort. Because angler and boater funds (excise taxes) are primarily used for reef development, it is important to communicate this information to anglers and it is part of the federal aid project.
Below are the data that is related to the artificial reef sites, available for download as CSV (excel) files. Use the downward facing arrow in the upper right corner of each table to export the data.
Reef Locations
Reef Guide Locations
Reef guide points are an assortment of products.
Concrete is the most common and is deployed as pieces or culverts.
Concrete is arranged as mounds with a high point, in a circular patter or in a
line as drag drops. Rock is deployed in a similar fashion as
concrete. Ballasted tires and marine cable are deployed as single
point. Other products used are armored military vehicles, subway cars and
salvaged vessels. Vessels include tugs, barges, ferries and
decommissioned military vessels.
Drag Drops
Most deployments from barges are piled materials with a single latitude/longitude coordinate. In some cases material ends up deployed along a transect. These are called "Drag Drops" and will have two sets of coordinates. Drag drops may occur for several reasons, including a change of tide during deployment, a slow dragging anchor or deployment from a drifting barge. Reef material will be found along the transects.
Rock Deployments
Delaware Bay Sites 4, 6 and 7 received rock deployments. The numbered blue circles, on the maps in the guide, are the rock deployment targets.
High Points
Delaware Bay Sites 4, 6 and 7 received rock deployments. For many targets, there is a numbered set of coordinates for the highest point of the rock pile, red diamonds on the maps in the guide.