Texas Artificial Reef Fishery Management Plan by C. Dianne Stephan Brett G. Dansby Hal R. Osburn Gary C. Matlock Robin K. Riechers Ralph Rayburn Fishery Management Plan Series Number 3 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Branch 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY rtificial reefs can be used Texas Parks and Wildlife Code. international law and national with other fishery manage- Meetings with Department staff fishing law and does not create Ament techniques designed and the Committee were held in any unreasonable obstruction to to achieve optimum yield from January, May, August, and Octo- navigation; fisheries. The Texas legislature ber of 1990. These meetings were (6) uses the best scientific recognized this potential with the also open to and attended by information available; and passage of the Artificial Reef Act members of the public and other (7) conforms to the state of 1989, which directed the Texas state officials. Meetings were artificial reef plan. Parks and Wildlife Department recorded and transcripts are Recommendations which (Department) to promote, develop, available upon request. have been developed in the maintain, monitor, and enhance All comments received Artificial Reef Plan to guide the the artificial reef potential in state were carefully considered. As Department’s artificial reef pro- waters and federal waters adjacent directed by the Legislature, the gram include the following: to Texas. The act defined an Committee consisted of a • The Department should be artificial reef as a structure or representative of each of the made a permitting agency for system of structures constructed, following: (1) salt water sports artificial reef development in placed, or permitted in the navi- fishing organization, (2) off- Texas and the adjacent Exclu- sive Economic Zone, with authority to deny any permit for proposed artificial reef The Artificial Reef Act of 1989 provided construction which does not conform to the Texas Artificial guidance for planning and developing Reef Plan. • Subsequent to the adoption artificial reefs in a cost effective manner to of the Artificial Reef Plan, an advisory committee consisting minimize conflicts and environmental risks. of persons from groups with interest in artificial reefs should be selected by the Chairman of gable water of Texas or water of shore oil and gas company, (3) the Texas Parks and Wildlife the federal exclusive economic Texas tourist industry, (4) General Commission for the purpose of zone adjacent to Texas for the Land Office, (5) shrimping organi- advising the Department on purpose of enhancing fishery zation, (6) Texas diving club, (7) implementation of the Plan. resources and commercial and Attorney General’s Office, (8) • The specific locations for recreational fishing opportuni- Texas university, and (9) artificial reef development ties. Enhancement of fishery environmental group. should be within the priority resources is considered to be the The Artificial Reef Act of areas identified in the Plan. restoration or creation of habitat 1989 provided guidance for • Artificial reefs should be to improve recruitment and planning and developing artifi- constructed as benthic reefs spawning potential of reef cial reefs in a cost effective using ships, oil platforms, or associated species, while enhanc- manner to minimize conflicts and similarly constructed materials ement of fishing opportunities is environmental risks. As directed arranged in as complex a the creation or improvement of by the legislature, an artificial fishing opportunities. To fulfill reef covered under this Plan must fashion as possible without these purposes, the Department be sited, constructed, maintained, jeopardizing structural integ- was directed to develop a state monitored, and managed in a rity, and oriented in a fashion artificial reef plan in accordance manner that: which maximizes effectiveness, with Chapter 89 of the Texas (1) enhances and conserves durability and stability. Parks and Wildlife code. fishery resources to the maxi- • The Department should The Texas Artificial Reef mum extent practicable; actively pursue acquiring off- Plan is a product of a process (2) facilitates access and shore platforms for use as designed to maximize the input use by Texas recreational and artificial reefs in the Gulf of of those interest groups most commercial fishermen; Mexico, in deference to other affected by the placement of (3) minimizes conflicts structures. artificial reefs in salt waters. The among competing uses of • The cost of the Department’s Plan has been reviewed by the water and water resources; artificial reef development, Texas Artificial Reef Advisory (4) minimizes environ- maintenance, and marking pro- Committee, created to advise and mental risks and risks to per- make recommendations to the sonal and public health and gram should not exceed revenues Department on details and property; accumulated in the Artificial specifications of the plan, in (5) is consistent with gen- Reef Fund. The cost of creating accordance with Chapter 89 of erally accepted principles of and maintaining artificial reefs should be borne by the donor; recreational and commercial mandates and to continue to however, the Department should fishing to achieve optimum determine fishery harvest minimize these costs to the yield, minimize impacts on trends, economics and impacts maximum extent possible. other users of the water column, of sociological influences. • The Artificial Reef Fund and minimize environmental, • Continued assessment and should be the sole source of property and health risks. evaluation of the Department’s funds for costs to the Depart- • The liability incurred by the activities by the Texas Parks and ment associated with artificial Department through any Wildlife Commission are reefs. Any donation of artifi- donations of artificial reef necessary to meet legislative cial reef material should be material should be minimized to mandates and to address data accompanied by at least 50% the maximum extent possible. needs reviewed in this Plan. of the realized savings to the • The Department should • The Department should donor. Costs associated with continue to work with other continue to maintain a high donation of an artificial reef groups to coordinate artificial level of interdepartmental and should be included when cal- reef development and manage- interagency communication to culating potential savings. ment. more fully benefit from the • Existing oil and gas plat- • Fishery resource harvest free flow of information con- forms located in the priority from artificial reefs should be cerning artificial reef research, areas for artificial reef develop- regulated to satisfy fishery adverse environmental con- ment should be deployed as management objectives of the ditions and changes in economic artificial reefs as near their regulating entities within Texas and societal goals. current location and in a form and the adjacent Exclusive • The Department should take as close to their current form Economic Zone. advantage of the opportunities as possible. • The Department’s present afforded by the creation of • Oil and gas platforms monitoring program should be artificial reefs for scientific located within excluded areas enhanced to meet legislative study and education of the at the time of removal should be mandates and to continue to public, including recreational placed as near as possible to determine trends in population spectators (e.g., nonconsump- artificial reefs located in abundance and stability, mov- tive divers). priority areas. ement, growth, mortality and Implementation of the Texas • The specific location for the impacts of environmental Artificial Reef Plan should insure materials not already present influences on reef associated the continued enhancement of within the priority areas species. fishery resources and fishing should be at sites that maxi- • The Department’s present opportunities for future Texans. mize enhancement of fishery monitoring program should be By doing so, many other Texans resources and opportunities for enhanced to meet legislative and visitors to Texas will benefit directly and indirectly. INTRODUCTION rtificial reefs are any Fisheries Conservation Zone. from man’s placement of struc- structures placed by man The Department manages tures and rigid materials in the Ain the environment which the fisheries of the state to achieve aquatic environment. For exam- alter the natural habitat. As such, optimum yield. For purposes of ple, the indiscriminate dumping artificial reefs represent a tool by the Plan, optimum yield is defined of various materials of opportu- which man can elicit changes in as the amount of resources that nity in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) the ecosystem to achieve benefits. the fisheries will produce on a has led to interference with nav- In general, the benefits sought continuing basis to achieve the igation, expensive marking, and through the use of artificial reefs maximum economic benefits to sites inaccessible to anglers. The have been the enhancement of the fishing industries and the state specific goals to be achieved with fishery resources with a con- as modified by any relevant artificial reef placement have comitant increase in fishing social or ecological factors. seldom been clearly defined, opportunities. As with any tool, Stated simply, fisheries should leading to conflicts among com- however, artificial reefs can be be managed by the State in a way peting interests as well