The Concept
The Texas Great Barrier Reef Project (TGBRP) is a Public/Private program dedicated to the construction of an artificial reefing corridor spanning the entire length of Texas Coast positioned in State Waters from 7.5 to 8.5 miles off of the beach. The TGBRP will extend from Port Isabel to Sabine Pass, and be divided into 5 segments due to shipping lanes. Up to 4,000 artificial reefs per year will be deployed in an effort to provide Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for Red Snapper and a multitude of other sport fish species important to our Coastal Economies. EFH is being lost at an alarming rate due to the removal of oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the detriment to our fisheries. In addition to providing badly needed EFH, this reefing project would restore a badly needed winter red snapper season inside Texas State waters. Alabama has been very successful with their artificial reef program and now accounts for 40% of all recreationally caught Red Snapper in the ENTIRE Gulf, even though their coastline is 1/9th the length of the Texas coastline. This success equates into countless of millions of dollars to THEIR Coastal Communities. This was accomplished through the development of permit reefing areas on a scale that cannot be over-exploited by recreational or commercial fishermen (1,260 sq. miles of reefing areas) and is key to this success story. We need the leadership and vision presented by TGBRP in order to prevent the over-exploitation of the fish stocks on the reefs, and in the long term, loss of Billions of dollars to key coastal communities generated by offshore fishermen. The Project Manager for the TGBRP is Dick Stone, who headed up the National Artificial Reefing Program, providing a wealth of experience and knowledge in putting together Public/Private Artificial Reefing Program.