INSHORE FOCUS St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program:

The St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program is dedicated to creating additional recreational destinations for boaters on the Treasure Coast. Over the last 18 years, the program has made 68 artificial reef deployments resulting in 57 new recreational destinations. While the program’s focus will remain on providing recreational destinations, it will shift slightly to include inshore fish habitats. Some fish that spawn in offshore waters produce larvae that are carried into the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) by incoming tide. These larvae then use lagoon habitats (seagrasses, mangroves, hardbottoms, oyster reefs) to grow into juveniles, making their way through the Fort Pierce Inlet to the Atlantic Ocean as they develop.

Monitoring of the Fort Pierce City Marina’s (FPCM) breakwater islands by Tetra Tech, Inc. in 2014, 2015, and 2022 showed 57 species of fish, including juvenile black seabass, common snook, hogfish, mangrove snapper, red grouper, sheepshead, and yellowtail snapper. All of these species have been documented on St. Lucie County’s artificial reefs. The islands, built to protect the marina from storms, are also providing juvenile fish habitat for species before they recruit to the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to fish, the FPCM breakwater islands are home to 79 species of invertebrates including spiny lobster, queen conch, 4 species of corals, and 2 species of anemones. There are also 37 species of macroalgae growing near the breakwater islands. The diverse invertebrate community and high numbers of algal species in the area, combined with the relatively clean water coming from the Fort Pierce Inlet helps to explain the high number of fish species in this area.

The St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program hopes to expand this hardbottom habitat surrounding the islands to make more room for juvenile fish to recruit to the ocean. Because of this it will be important to educate people about the area’s importance as a juvenile fish nursery. Both anglers and divers will be needed to monitor developments in the proposed inshore reefs, educate visitors about the high currents between breakwater islands, and ensure that patrons of this reef comply with current size and bag restrictions. Because this is a juvenile fish reef, no additional restrictions will be required.

This project will dovetail with the Artificial Reef Program’s effort to clean Moore’s Creek, the urban tributary delivering ground water and sometimes stormwater mixed with pollutants and trash to the IRL. The confluence of Moore’s Creek and the IRL is at the FPCM breakwater islands. Any improvement in Moore’s Creek water quality will positively impact fish habitat at the islands and further into the IRL.

An important component of this project will be the recreational aspect of this area. Both fishing and diving are major boosts to the economy. Any reef placed at the FPCM breakwater islands needs to accommodate both fishing and diving as well as help local businesses to educate watermen. DeBrooks Fishing Corner and Dive Odyssea are two such businesses that are likely to benefit from the new reefs. These businesses will be surveyed to see how their patrons view the reefs and what can be done to improve their experiences.

RES, LLC is one of the Artificial Reef Program’s consultants and has been charged with helping to develop this reef project. Since recreation is of great importance to the program, it is hoped that RES can develop a means to minimize conflicts from different users on these reefs.

To learn more about the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program efforts to create additional recreational destinations or to learn about the program’s other projects to create fish habitat, contact Jim Oppenborn at (772) 462-1713 or oppenbornj@stlucieco.org. To get involved in RES’ planning for the potential juvenile fish habitat reef, please contact Joshua Mills at (772) 285-8363 or jcmills@res.us.