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
Artificial Reefs Built in 2000
| Reef Site |
Month |
Material |
Coordinates
(Latitude
Longitude) |
| Atlantic Beach |
February to December |
254,000 cubic yards of dredged
bedrock |
Scattered over site |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
June |
Concrete bridge sections |
40°32.188'N
73°39.495'W |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
July |
Concrete bridge sections |
40°32.195'N
73°39.508'W |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
August |
Concrete bridge sections |
40°32.199'N
73°39.497'W |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
September |
28 foot steel workboats and two
40 foot steel dredge barges |
40°32.101'N
73°39.454'W |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
November |
43 foot bi-metal sailboat,
Beyond |
40°32.150'N
73°39.333'W |
| Hempstead Town |
October |
Two 40 foot steel dredge barges |
40°31.020'N
73°32.510'W |
Fisherman
Yellowbar |
November |
12 inch concrete pipe (67
pieces)
15 inch concrete pipe (19 pieces)
eight foot section |
40°38.000'N
73°14.441'W |
| Moriches |
March |
112 foot steel clam dredge,
Cape Fear |
40°43.505'N
72°46.386'W |
| Moriches |
July |
18 to 30 inch concrete pipe (115
pieces), eight foot sections |
Scattered over site |
| Shinnecock |
February and March |
3,500 cubic yards of concrete
bridge sections |
Scattered over site |
Artificial Reefs Built in 2001
| Reef Site |
Month |
Material |
Coordinates
(Latitude
Longitude) |
| Atlantic Beach (73*) |
January - June |
179,900 cubic yards of bedrock |
Scattered over site |
Fisherman
Yellowbar |
January |
62-ft fishing vessel, Connie
F |
40°38.000'N
73°14.490'W |
| Moriches |
February |
100-ft steel deck barge |
40°43.470'N
72°46.329'W |
| Moriches |
October |
70-ft steel trawler, Two
Friends |
40°43.473'N
72°46.474'W |
Reefs built in 2002
| Reef Site |
Month |
Material |
Coordinates
(Latitude
Longitude) |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
December 2001 |
8,900 cubic yards of Red Shale |
40°32.290'N
73°39.680'W |
| Moriches |
April |
167 foot steel vessel The
Boat |
40°43.403'N
72°46.659'W |
Fisherman
Yellowbar |
May |
48 foot vessel Peregrine |
40°38.012'N
73°14.364'W |
| Moriches |
July |
80 foot steel trawler Ana
Palmira |
40°43.514'N
72°46.598'W |
Reefs built in 2003
| Reef Site |
Month |
Material |
Coordinates
(Latitude
Longitude) |
Fishing Line
McAllister Grounds |
April |
Hancock Barge, a
37-foot steel crane barge |
40°32.159'N
73°39.468'W |
| Fire Island |
October |
Mary N, a 50-foot steel
clam dredge |
40°35.997'N
73°12.926'W |
| Fire Island |
October |
Alec N, a 45-foot steel
clam dredge |
40°35.962'N
73°13.011'W |
| Moriches |
November |
J.J., a 90-foot steel
Reinhauer tugboat |
40°43.475'N
72°46.474'W |
| Atlantic Beach |
December |
33,600 cubic yards red shale
from the Howland Hook Wharf extension project |
Coordinates available upon
request. |
|
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Shipwreck
Expo Free Newsletter
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