CCA REEF Louisiana project will replace lost oil and gas platform habitat. Dedication Ceremony and Reef Site Visit is this Wednesday in Venice.
Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana’s REEF Louisiana Program will begin construction this week on a new artificial reef complex in Plaquemines Parish, on a former speckled trout fishing hotspot where oil and gas platforms have been removed. The new reef complex will be named “The Green Monster Reef” in honor of the iconic platform that once stood in the area.
Along with conservation partners Chevron, CCA’s Building Conservation Trust and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, CCA’s REEF Louisiana program will build two reefs using a variety of recycled concrete “materials of opportunity.” The materials will include recycled catch basins, construction materials and highway barriers that have been made available to CCA and approved for use on the project.
The reefs will replace habitat in the West Delta Blocks, in an area that was once a favorite of speckled trout anglers before oil and gas platforms were removed. One of the new reefs will cover the footprint of the old platform, and will extend up to 250 ft in each direction. The other will be of similar size, and will be located near the first reef. Both reefs will be designed to optimize the water and bottom conditions with the hopes of creating the best possible fish habitat. They will be in roughly 20 feet of water, and the materials will be placed on the bottom to create up to 6 feet of elevation from the seafloor.
This is the third CCA REEF Louisiana Project, and the 27th reef project by CCA Louisiana in recent years, representing more than $12 million in habitat creation. It will be CCA’s fourth reef project built on the site of removed oil and gas platforms. The first was the “Pickets Reef” complex in Ship Shoal Block 26 (built in 2014), one of the most popular and productive projects ever completed by CCA. In 2019, similar projects were completed in South Marsh Island Block 233 (The Ted Beaullieu, Sr. Reef Complex) and in Vermilion Blocks 119 & 124 (The Rawls Reef Complex).
Funding for the Green Monster project comes from CCA Louisiana, Chevron, CCA’s Building Conservation Trust and LDWF’s Artificial Reef Trust Fund, as well individual gifts from CCA REEF Louisiana Club members. In-kind donations are provided by Gainey’s Concrete Products and Madere & Sons Towing / Deep South Construction.
CCA and our partners will hold a dedication ceremony this Wednesday, April 7 at 10am at Venice Marina in Venice, Louisiana. After the ceremony, those in attendance will have the opportunity to tour the reef construction site. Boats will be on hand to provide transportation to and from the reef site for media members and guests.
CCA’s REEF Louisiana Program is working on plans for other new reefs, including projects at South Timbalier 51, Bay Marchand 3, South Timbalier 165, Eugene Island 51, Vermilion 69 and West Cameron 45. All of these projects are part of the new REEF Louisiana Program, in which CCA, LDWF and our partners rebuild fisheries habitat on the sites of removed platforms. For more information about REEF Louisiana or to become a REEF Club Member, please contact David at 225-952-9200.
Construction of the Green Monster Reef complex should take 7-10 days. Once work is completed, CCA will publicize the official GPS coordinates for the reefs.
