Artificial Reef Deployment and Monitoring

Sinking Treasures To Boost Economies & Environments

Florida is responding to fisheries depletion and habitat degradation with one of the nation’s most progressive artificial reef programs.

large artificial reefs being deployed from vessel

Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs in the U.S. More than 3,800 planned public artificial reefs have been deployed since the 1940’s.

Artificial reef projects around the state have been transformed by a combination of ecological expertise, engineering, and design informed by scientific data. In addition to offering habitat to fish, artificial reefs improve fishing opportunities and create new scuba diving destinations.

For more than three decades, Florida Sea Grant has played a leadership role in the evolution of the state’s artificial reef program. Florida Sea Grant partners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)’s Artificial Reef Program to ensure artificial reef deployment and monitoring are informed by the best available science. Together, FSG and FWC hold annual regional artificial reef workshops that culminate in a statewide Artificial Reef Summit every five years to discuss research and management of artificial reefs in Florida.

Public reef in Taylor County. Keith Mille, FWC

Individual agents help coordinate deployment and monitoring of artificial reefs in their counties, and communicate the availability of such reefs to local constituents to foster increased fishing opportunities.

To stay in the know on all things artificial reefs in Florida, connect with us on Facebook.

Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Artificial Reef Locator to explore an online atlas of artificial reefs throughout the state.

Workshops & Summits

Every five years, FSG and FWC host a statewide summit to foster awareness, communication and collaboration among artificial reef stakeholders, including manufacturers, coordinators, regulators, wildlife managers, researchers and recreational user groups. Regional workshops are held on a semi-annual basis in coastal communities from the Panhandle to the mid-Atlantic coast of Florida. Unable to attend an event in person? Most workshops and summits are live-streamed and available at the Florida Artificial Reefs Facebook Page.