Artificial reef construction resumes at Carolina Beach State Park
CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Two agencies are teaming up to rebuild marine ecosystems in the Cape Fear River.
NC Marine Fisheries and NC Coastal Federation are collaborating to move more than 2,100 tons of recycled concrete into the waters off Carolina Beach State Park to build an artificial reef.
Blasted with around 300 pounds of pressure, the small concrete rocks are pushed off of a barge and into the river
The project, which began in 2017, provides a vital space for oyster populations to grow—which in turn attracts fish and other marine wildlife.
“Lots of commercially and recreationally important species,” Project Manager Jordan Byrum noted.
Byrum explains the artificial reef gives oysters a place to latch on and grow.
“All artificial reefs, we put those into areas that we call sort of a desert. So, they’re just kind of flat, sort of sandy mud. No other natural resources there,” he said.
Funding for the project is made possible by the EPA’s Kerr McGee Superfund Site in Navassa.
“This project is one the efforts to help those habitats,” Ted Wilgis with the Coastal Federation said.
At one time the Cape Fear River was teaming with oysters.
“Over time with the alteration of the river though deepening and other activities, a lot of those oyster reefs have disappeared,” Wilgis explained.
The larger goal is to eventually construct a series of artificial reefs stretching from the state park to Bald Head Island.
Wilgis said the hope is that one day, people can eat fish from the lower Cape Fear without worrying about getting sick—though, restoration won’t fix the problem alone.
“We also have to combine that with an effort to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the river. So, it’s a multi-pronged approach,” he said.
Since 2023, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has advised against repeated consumption of fish in the lower Cape Fear because of contamination of forever chemicals like PFAS and 1, 4 Dioxane.
