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Reefs: worth their salt

A possible casualty of county budget cuts lies beneath, but one man won't give up without a fight.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES, Times Correspondent
Published September 12, 2007

Like any proud papa, Dr. Heyward Mathews beams when he talks about the artificial reef program he fathered in the mid 1970s. Since the program's inception, Pinellas County has built 13 reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, with six still under construction. Now cash-strapped county officials plan to put the program on hold for a year and consider its future. Mathews is ready to fight for its life.

"Pinellas leads the state in artificial reef construction," said Mathews, 67, who conducts oceanography labs and scuba classes at St. Petersburg College, where he has worked for 40 years.

"We have an award-winning program," Mathews said last week. "The crew are experts in their field. People come here from places like Japan and France to learn how to do it."

For the past 33 years, the county has taken clean construction debris such as concrete culverts, bridge pilings, seawalls and light poles, as well as old ships and even surplus military equipment, and sunk them in the gulf to create something akin to housing projects for fish.

About two weeks after a reef is built, algae and barnacles grow. Then bait fish come and bigger fish follow. Within six to nine months, reefs typically begin to support the growth of coral.

Eventually, artificial reefs rival natural ones in terms of fish population, proponents say.

Bill Horn, a fisheries biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's artificial reef program, said Pinellas County is the only one of 35 coastal counties to have its own barge and crew. "Other large counties generally contract this type of work out," he said.

That practice still requires staffing to oversee the program and make sure the materials are deployed correctly, he said.

As for the financial benefit, he said artificial reefs are "economic energizers for fishing and diving industries."

"One study done in the Panhandle showed that for every dollar spent on an artificial reef," Horn said, "the economic benefit was $138."

* * * 

But as Pinellas officials search for ways to tighten the county's budget and live on less property tax revenue, the reef program could get set aside.

"We are not funding the program for the next year," said Bob Hauser, the county's director of solid-waste operations, the department that oversees the project. "It's not germane to our goal of getting rid of garbage."

Hauser said a study by HDR, an international architectural, engineering and consulting firm, is under way to determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to manage the program. He expects a finished draft by the end of September and hopes to have a presentation ready for the County Commission by January.

For now, though, the Tortuga, the bargelike vessel that hauls the demolition debris to sea, will be put in storage, Hauser said. Its crew of three will move into other county jobs. The county no longer accepts construction debris at its site in Sand Key Park.

Hauser said he expects savings of more than $500,000 this year.

But Mathews points out that the solid- waste department isn't funded through general tax revenue. Rather, it is run on user fees from solid-waste disposal and selling power produced from the incinerator to Progress Energy.

Hauser says: "It's still all about saving public dollars."

He challenges the suggestion that the program is being eliminated.

"No one questions the environmental, economic and recreation benefits of the artificial reefs," Hauser said. "We will continue with the program in a manner to be determined in the future."

Mathews' response?

"That's a joke and they know it," he said. "They made up their minds months ago and they're shutting this thing down."

Mathews thinks the program is more environmental in nature and would like to see it transferred out of the solid-waste department.

And he thinks HDR is the wrong firm for the study.

"They know nothing about the science of building artificial reefs," he said.

Based on some preliminary reports and memos provided by Hauser, Mathews fears that the Tortuga will be sold or deteriorate in storage. He worries that future concrete debris will be pulverized for gravel, and that all future reef building will be handled by outside contractors skilled at little more than "ocean dumping."

"Marine habitat is not measured in terms of tons of concrete dropped," Mathews said. "It is measured in terms of cubic yards of internal spaces for marine life. One pipe, properly placed, can easily produce 10 pounds of grouper per year. That pipe will provide quality marine habitat for another 2,000 years. It's the ultimate recycling program."

Barry Yoder, supervisor of the reef program, said he and his two crew members are skilled divers. After a site is permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, they choose materials based on whether they want to attract a pelagic population like mackerel that swim in the open waters or a benthic population of bottom-dwellers like grouper.

Much of the gulf floor has a bare sand bottom that doesn't support many types of food and game fish. A single grouper can lay 500,000 eggs, but they need a suitable habitat to survive.

"We might choose to build something low profile like a table to create shadows for fish so they can hide," he said.

* * *

Mathews originated Pinellas' program in response to the county's burgeoning population. It has been a boon for the fishing, diving and tourism industries. Anglers can often be seen clustered around the reefs.

As the county grows, Mathews contends, the program should grow with it.

"We needed to create enough marine habitat out there to match the growing angler population," he said. "Pinellas County has over 3,200 people per square mile. If we stop adding habitat, we're going to stress the fishing industry. People are going to have to go out for miles to catch fish."

Mathews said he has talked to all seven county commissioners and is pleading with them to allow the program to continue at least for another year at half the normal operating budget.

"The program could operate on $300,000 a year," he said. "Let's keep it going while we evaluate. Get some scientific studies done to decide if it's worth it.

"If scientists say we don't need an artificial reef program, I won't make another peep."

Terri Bryce Reeves can be reached at treeves@tampabay.rr.com.

South County

Where: 11.5 miles west-northwest of the Pass-a-Grille channel.

Depth: 45 feet.

Features: Created in response to requests for a reef at the south end of Pinellas County, this reef consists of 700 tons of concrete culvert, junction boxes, light poles and slabs, as well as the 100-year-old tug Orange.

Pinellas No. 2

Where: 19.2 miles southwest of Clearwater Pass.

Depth: 80 feet

Features: The home for the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn, a steel barge and the tug Sheridan, a popular spot for divers.

Rube Allyn

Where: 9.5 miles west-southwest of Clearwater Pass.

Depth: 50 feet.

Features: Made partly from concrete from the old Clearwater Pass Bridge, this reef has many tall pyramid structures, makingit an excellent spot to look for kingfish. A 35-foot barge used in the early days of the reef construction program rests atop a newer addition.

[Last modified September 11, 2007, 22:51:05]