Marine Fishing Reefs

Artificial reefs have long been used to enhance marine habitat and attract marine fish and other animals for harvest. Reefs are built of any hard, durable structure that simulates the habitat of particular species of fish, crustaceans or mollusks. Most artificial reefs in New York are made of rock, concrete, or steel, usually in the form of surplus or scrap materials. Our reefs were developed to provide new fisheries habitat and more accessible fishing grounds for anglers. Divers also visit our reefs for nature observation, photography, and catching lobsters. Fishes common to New York reefs include blackfish (tautog), black sea bass, porgy (scup), bergall (cunner), hake, and cod.

Listed below are the names and locations of reef sites in the waters around Long Island. For more detailed information and the locations of more than 300 individual reefs, contact Chris LaPorta at (631) 444-0438.

The NY Fishing Regulations Guide   Local Weather Links 

GPS and Loran Artificial Reef Shipwreck Coordinate List New York and New Jersey

Rockaway Reef Site
Location: 1.6 nautical miles south of Rockaway Beach, in the Atlantic Ocean. This site is just inshore from the Mistletoe wreck.
Size: 413 acres (2000 yards by 1000 yards)
Depth: 32 to 40 feet
Materials: 6,000 tires in 3-tire units; 60 steel buoys; rock; concrete slabs, pipes, culvert, decking and rubble.
Comments: One tire unit is configured into a 15-tire pyramid. Unconfirmed report of 16 auto bodies, probably disintegrated by now.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Atlantic Beach Reef Site
Location: 3.0 nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach, in the Atlantic Ocean. This reef was called the Buoy 4 reef.
Size: 413 acres (2000 yards by 1000 yards)
Depth: 55 to 64 feet
Materials: 30,000 tires in 3-tire units; 404 auto bodies; 10 Good Humor trucks; 9 barges; the tug Fran S; a steel lifeboat; steel crane and boom; surplus armored vehicles; rock; concrete slabs, pipes, culvert, decking and rubble; 350,000 cubic yards of rock from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project.
Comments: Auto and truck bodies have disintegrated.

Fishing Line Reef Site
Location: 2.8 nautical miles south of Long Beach, in the Atlantic Ocean
Size: 115 acres (925 yards by 600 yards)
Depth: 50 to 53 feet
Materials: Concrete bridge rubble; 2 steel barges; steel workboat; sailboat. 28 foot steel workboats and two 40 foot steel dredge barges and 43 foot bi-metal sailboat, Beyond  sunk in 2002, Hancock Barge, a 37-foot steel crane barge,
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Hempstead Town Reef Site
Location: 3.3 nautical miles south of Jones Beach State Park, in the Atlantic Ocean
Size: 744 acres (3000 yards by 1200 yards)
Depth: 50 to 72 feet
Materials: 11 vessels; a drydock; surplus armored vehicles; concrete rubble; 2 steel barges. Two 40 foot steel dredge barges sunk 2002,
Comments: Seven wooden barges placed over 20 years ago have mostly disintegrated.

Fire Island Reef Site
Location: 2.0 nautical miles south of the Fire Island Lighthouse, in the Atlantic Ocean
Size: 744 acres (3000 yards by 1200 yards)
Depth: 62 to 73 feet
Materials: 1500 tires; 10 barges; 2 boat hulls; 2 drydocks; sailboat; surplus armored vehicles; coal ash blocks (experimental); rock; concrete cesspool rings, slabs and rubble. Mary N, a 50-foot steel clam dredge, Alec N, a 45-foot steel clam dredge,
Comments: Charted dimensions and location are different from permitted ones.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Moriches Reef Site
Location: 2.4 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet, in the Atlantic Ocean
Size: 14 acres (450 yards by 150 yards)
Depth: 70 to 75 feet
Materials: 2 small boats; 2 steel barges; 2 steel trawlers; surplus armored vehicles; 600 tires; 112 foot steel clam dredge Cape Fear; 70-ft steel trawler, Two Friends, 167 foot steel vessel The Boat, 80 foot steel trawler Ana Palmira, concrete pipes. J., a 90-foot steel Reinhauer tugboat,
Comments: Small wooden boats disintegrated; tires covered with sand.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Shinnecock Reef Site
Location: 2.0 nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet, in the Atlantic Ocean
Size: 35 acres (680 yards by 250 yards)
Depth: 79 to 84 feet
Materials: 3000 tires in 3-tire units; 3 barges; a tug; a wood drydock; 2 wood boats; a steel cruiser; a steel and concrete tower; 2 steel trawlers; surplus armored vehicles; steel and concrete bridge rubble.
Comments: Charted dimensions and location are different from permitted ones.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Great South Bay--Kismet Reef Site
Location: 120 yards north of the South Beach, between Kismet and the National Seashore dock, in the Great South Bay
Size: 10 acres; (1000 yards by 50 yards)
Depth: 16 to 25 feet
Materials: 4000 tires in 3-tire units; 2 barges; 24,000 cement blocks; concrete slabs, culvert and rubble.
Comments: Charted dimensions are different from permitted ones.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Great South Bay--The Fisherman Reef Site
Location: 900 yards east of the Robert Moses Fixed Bridge, in the Great South Bay
Size: 7 acres (400 yards by 85 yards)
Depth: 25 to 40 feet
Materials: 100 concrete Reef Ball units; concrete pipes.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Smithtown Bay Reef Site
Location: 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Stony Brook Harbor entrance, in the Long Island Sound
Size: 3 acres (150 yards by 100 yards)
Depth: 38 to 40 feet
Materials: 22,000 tires; 5 barges; 6 concrete-filled steel cylinders.
Comments: Tires are scattered around site.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

Matinecock Point Reef Site
Location: 0.5 nautical miles north of Peacock Point, in the Long Island Sound
Size: 41 acres (800 yards by 250 yards)
Depth: 30 to 40 feet
Materials: unknown
Comments: Undeveloped. Charted dimensions are different from permitted ones.
* Fish pots banned by State Law *

NYS DEC Needs Your Help to expand its artificial reef program.
Chris Laporta of the NYS DEC Marine Artificial Reef Program has requested divers and fisherman to fill out and send in logs. These logs are needed to support the use of artificial reefs and obtain new permits that will allow the DEC to increase the NYS artificial reef program. Please take a few minutes to download the above listed PDF file, fill it out and send it to the DEC. Your effort today will help to support a growing NYS artificial reef program.   reefdiverlog.pdf

Reefs built in 2002

Reefs built in 2003