 March 18, 2022
Please see below for Florida’s latest artificial reef news, notes and reminders: - Florida Artificial Reef Grant Applications for FY 22-23: Due Date Extended to April 22, 2022
- Job Announcement: FWC Artificial Reef Biological Scientist, Tallahassee, FL: Due March 23, 2022
- Farewell and Congratulations to Christine Kittle, FWC Artificial Reef Program Biological Scientist
- Florida Artificial Reef Locations Updated
- Blue Heron Bridge Artificial Reefs – FREE Virtual Presentation by Pura Vida Divers, FL: March 11, 2022
- Recent Artificial Reef Publications and Reports
 FWC Call for Florida Artificial Reef Grant Applications FY 22-23: due date extended! Grant applications now due Friday, April 22, 2022. FWC artificial reef construction and monitoring grant applications continue to be accepted for fiscal year 2022-23. Given recent program staffing changes, the application due date has been extended to Friday, April 22, 2022 by 5pm (ET). Please note that applications for artificial reef construction must still be accompanied by documentation of an active permitted site valid through September 30, 2023. We encourage all applicants to further build upon the success of the November 2020 Virtual Artificial Reef Summit: Bringing the Future of Florida’s Artificial Reefs into Focus by proposing projects to address some of the key topics discussed at the summit. This includes incorporating new monitoring techniques and reef designs, collaborating with local stakeholders to design reefs to address local concerns, understanding how the design and location of an artificial reef may influence fish species differently, and taking into account how artificial reefs may influence local fishing effort. Applicants are encouraged to explore these topics to help guide their construction and monitoring project ideas, and clearly demonstrate how the proposed project fits within the FWC Artificial Reef Strategic Plan. The announcement, application forms and instructions can be downloaded from the FWC Artificial Reef Program website, and applicants are encouraged to contact staff for pre-application consultation prior to submittal. |
 Job Announcement for FWC Artificial Reef Program Biological Scientists, Tallahassee, FL Applications Due Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The FWC Artificial Reef Program is seeking candidates for one full-time biological scientist position located in Tallahassee, FL. The position will manage grants and contracts for artificial reef development and research, compile, analyze and interpret biological data, conduct SCUBA assessments of artificial reef habitats and prepare technical reports. Cover letter, resume, and completed job application must be submitted online via the State of Florida PeopleFirst website by midnight, March 23, 2022. For more information, please visit the People First website as follows (closing date 3/23): https://jobs.myflorida.com/job/TALLAHASSEE-FWC-DIVISION-OF-MARINE-FISHERIES-F&W-BIOLOGICAL-SCIENTIST-IV-POSITION-77072668-TALLAHASSEE-FL-32311/851683800/ |
 Farewell and Congratulations to Christine Kittle, FWC Artificial Reef Program Biological Scientist Artificial Reef Biological Scientist, Christine Kittle has started a new position within the FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management, Federal Fisheries Section, responsible for analyzing federal fisheries issues including federal Council and Highly Migratory Species actions, Endangered Species Act listing proposals, federal legislation and other federal issues that affect Florida’s fisheries. During Christine’s five-year tenure with the FWC Artificial Reef Program, Christine made significant contributions towards regulatory review of artificial reef permits and construction activities. In addition, Christine provided valuable technical support both in the field and in the office managing state and federally-funded artificial reef construction, research and monitoring projects. For more about Christine, please visit the Staff Highlight section at the bottom of the November 2021 “FWC Marine Fisheries In the Know” newsletter. We congratulate Christine on her new role within the FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management and are thankful for Christine’s contributions towards Florida’s artificial reef management and look forward to her continuing to include artificial reefs as a component of her new role within the FWC Federal Fisheries Section. |
 Florida Artificial Reef Locations Updated The January 2022 updates to the Florida Artificial Reef Location database have been updated and posted on the FWC Artificial Reef Program website. Coordinates can be viewed on the interactive map viewer and downloaded as a .pdf, Excel spreadsheet, GIS shapefile, or .kml file. County Artificial Reef Managers – please verify that all recent deployments are accounted for within your respective region. Please notify FWC Artificial Reef Program staff of any corrections and submit Material Placement Reports for any missing or new deployments via email: ArtificialReefDeployments@MyFWC.com. |
 Blue Heron Bridge Artificial Reefs – FREE Virtual Presentation by Pura Vida Divers, FL: (March 11, 2022 6pm) The Artificial Reefs at Blue Heron Bridge (including designed concrete modules, limestone boulders and concrete sculptures) have become part of an iconic shore-dive and popular destination for divers, snorkelers and underwater photographers at all levels. Join Pura Vida Divers for their monthly social via Zoom to learn more about this unique dive destination. From the Pura Vida newsletter: Think you know the secrets of the Blue Heron Bridge? Think again! This world-renowned site holds many mysteries below its surface. Tune in this month as we share some of our favorite secrets, tips and tricks to make the most of every Blue Heron Bridge dive. How do you find elusive animals, like stargazers? What season brings seahorses to BHB? Caring for this special habitat begins with knowledge. Tune in online as we share our experience built over decades of diving Blue Heron Bridge. Click here to register for the virtual presentation, or contact Pura Vida Divers for more information or to request a link to the recorded presentation. |
Recent Artificial Reef Publications and Reports Keenan, S., Switzer, T., Knapp, A., Weather, E., Davis, J. 2022. Spatial dynamics of the quantity and diversity of natural and artificial hard bottom habitats in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Continental Shelf Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2021.104633. The eastern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf (approximately 144,000 km2), while dominated by unconsolidated sediments, contains diverse hard bottom habitats critical to economically important reef fishes. Although high-resolution mapping exists for several well-known hard bottom features (e.g. Florida Middle Grounds, The Sticky Grounds), the majority of the shelf remains unmapped. Through mapping efforts conducted in support of fisheries independent resource surveys, hard bottom habitats were identified and classified from 4208 randomly distributed, small-scale (2 km2) side-scan sonar surveys conducted between 2010 and 2018. Thirty-three natural and artificial hard bottom habitat types were identified, with Flat Hard Bottom comprising both the greatest area coverage (131.7 km2) and number of individual features classified (n = 42,829). Classification and regression tree analyses were conducted to identify spatial patterns of hard bottom habitat composition based on both area coverage and number of individual hard bottom features. These maps identified distinct spatial variability in the availability of several habitat types, such as increased number of Pothole habitats in deep shelf waters off the Florida Peninsula and increased coverage by artificial reef habitats within the Florida Panhandle. Extrapolating results from this representative, broad scale approach to habitat mapping indicated that approximately 3854 km2 (2.6%) of the shelf is comprised of natural hard bottom habitat. The value of comprehensive habitat data is highlighted within recent efforts toward generating absolute abundances of reef fish species as well as continuing efforts toward ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. Regards, Keith Mille, Biological Administrator II Division of Marine Fisheries Management - Artificial Reef Program Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission web: http://myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs/ |
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