Franklin
County Commissioners are throwing their support behind a proposal to
create a new artificial reef in state waters off St. George Island.
Local
charter captain Grayson Shepard addressed the commission this month
and explained that a reef is needed because currently there are only
two artificial reefs on the western end of the county and most local
fishermen can't afford the permit needed to fish in federal waters.
There
s a long list of conditions that have to be met before the reef can
be created but Grayson has already been very busy.
He
has been working with state agencies and local fishermen to find a
suitable location for an artificial reef that meets state
requirements and won't impact the shrimping industry.
He
said a suitable site has been found about 8 and a half miles due
south of the Bob Sikes Cut.
Its
in 40 feet of water so its easy for fishermen and divers to access.
The
site is about one mile by one mile so there is plenty of room.
The
reef will be called the Buddy Ward Memorial reef.
Grayson
said the reef will allow most fishermen to target a number of species
that can't be found in the bay like grouper, snapper and king
mackerel and the more reef material that's out there, the more fish
will be there.
The
county's role in the process is to serve as the government body to
sign for the permit to get the area approved.
They
would also have to sign off on permits as each section of the reef is
created.
The
county won't be held financially liable for the reef, Grayson said
there a number of grants available to pay for this type of work.
County
Commissioners said they think a new reef would be good for the
economy and were happy to support the proposal.
They
also agreed to to pay the 700 dollar permit fee.
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