Since 1984, the bureau has been involved in an intensive program of artificial reef construction and biological monitoring. The purpose is to create a network of artificial reefs in the ocean waters along the New Jersey coast to provide a hard substrate for fish, shellfish and crustaceans, fishing grounds for anglers, and underwater structures for scuba divers.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife is currently maintaining 14 reef sites in the ocean along the New Jersey coast as part of the Artificial Reef Program. These sites are located between 2 and 25 nautical miles offshore from Sandy Hook to Cape May.
Reefs are constructed by intentionally placing very heavy structures, such as old ships, concrete debris, rock, obsolete army tanks and prefabricated concrete artificial reef units on the sea floor. Within each reef site, which range in size from one-half to over four square miles, numerous "patch reefs" have been constructed. A patch reef is a one-half to 5-acre area where one barge load of material has been deployed. In total, over 1200 patch reefs have been constructed on the state's 14 reef sites since the program began. Reefs are now being used extensively by anglers and divers who catch sea bass, blackfish, porgy and lobster.The structures are placed within areas designated as reef sites by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Research projects designed to investigate the biology and ecology of ocean reefs completed during the past year included the food habits of black sea bass and the colonization of reef structures by blue mussels, barnacles and other marine invertebrates. Such studies help assess the effectiveness of reef construction efforts in providing habitat for New Jersey's marine life.
This notice provides the boundaries, in both LORAN C and latitude and longitude, of New Jersey’s 14 reef sites. All of the reef sites have been plotted as "Fish Havens" on current NOAA nautical charts. Fish havens (reef sites) are delineated as blue-shaded areas on NOAA nautical charts. Please retain this notice on your vessel and refer to appropriate nautical charts to identify the location of reefs in the area of ocean you are working.
| SANDY HOOK REEF SITE-1.4 Nautical Miles off Sea Bright | SEA GIRT REEF SITE-3.6 Nautical Miles off Sea Girt | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 40o23’18" |
73o55’53" |
26945.2x |
43663.6y |
NE Corner | 40o08’22" |
73o55’52" |
26902.7x | 43510.0y |
|
| NW Corner | 40o23’18" |
73o56’36" |
26950.5x |
43664.3y |
NW Corner | 40o08’63" |
73o55’73" | 26905.5x | 43514.6y |
|
| SE Corner | 40o20’53" | 73o55’53" | 26938.1x |
43638.3y |
SE Corner | 40o06’13" |
73o57’12" | 26909.3x | 43490.0y |
|
| SW Corner | 40o20’18" |
73o56’36" |
26943.6x |
43639.0y |
SW Corner | 40o06’17" | 73o57’57" |
26912.7x | 43490.6y |
|
| GARDEN STATE NORTH REEF SITE-6.5 Nautical Miles off Harvey Cedars | GARDEN STATE SOUTH REEF SITE-5.1 Nautical Miles off Spray Beach | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 39o38’03" |
74o00’42" |
26870x |
43200y |
NE Corner | 39o33’49" |
74o05’45" |
26895x | 43157y | |
| NW Corner | 39o37’59" |
74o02’12" |
26880x |
43200y |
NW Corner | 39o33’48" |
74o07’12" | 26905x | 43157y | |
| SE Corner | 39o37’03" | 74o01’00" | 26870x |
43190y |
SE Corner | 39o33’32" |
74o05’51" | 26895x | 43152y | |
| SW Corner | 39o37’00" |
74o02’30" |
26880x |
43190y |
SW Corner | 39o33’31" | 74o07’21" |
26905x | 43152y | |
| LITTLE EGG REEF SITE-4.0 Nautical Miles off Holgate | ATLANTIC CITY REEF SITE-12.2 Nautical Miles off Atlantic City | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 39o29’00" |
74o10’00" |
26912.9x |
43106.5y |
NE Corner | 39o16’54" |
74o15’17" |
26892x |
42946y | |
| NW Corner | 39o29’00" |
74o12’00" |
26926.1x |
43106.6y |
NW Corner | 39o16’13" |
74o16’11" | 26897x |
42950y | |
| SE Corner | 39o28’00" | 74o10’00" | 26910.8x |
43095.9y |
SE Corner | 39o13’56" |
74o11’48" | 26897x |
42938y | |
| SW Corner | 39o28’00" |
74o12’00" |
26924.1x |
43096.0y |
SW Corner | 39o13’18" | 74o12’42" |
26901x |
42942y | |
| GREAT EGG REEF SITE-7.2 Nautical Miles off Atlantic City | OCEAN CITY REEF SITE-4.5 Nautical Miles off Ocean City | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 39o15’00" |
74o21’00" |
26953.3x |
42955.5y |
NE Corner | 39o10’45" |
74o32’27" |
27014.5x |
42906.5y | |
| NW Corner | 39o15’00" |
74o22’00" |
26959.6x |
42955.5y |
NW Corner | 39o11’06" |
74o32’51" | 27017.5x |
42910.5y | |
| SE Corner | 39o14’00" | 74o21’00" | 26951.2x |
42944.8y |
SE Corner | 39o09’24" |
74o34’37" | 27025.5x |
42892.5y | |
| SW Corner | 39o14’00" |
74o22’00" |
26957.5x |
42944.6y |
SW Corner | 39o09’49" | 74o34’58" |
27027.5x |
42896.5y | |
| SHARK RIVER REEF SITE-15.6 Nautical Miles off Manasquan | AXEL CARLSON REEF SITE-2.0 Nautical Miles off Mantoloking | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 40o07’20" |
73o41’05" |
26793x |
43490y |
NE Corner | 40o03’43" |
73o58’34" |
26914.2x | 43465.9y |
|
| NW Corner | 40o07’20" |
73o41’48" |
26799x |
43491y |
NW Corner | 40o04’11" |
73o59’45" | 26924.1x | 43471.5y |
|
| SE Corner | 40o06’12" | 73o41’05" | 26790x |
43479y |
SE Corner | 40o59’50" |
73o59’24" | 26910.8x | 43426.5y |
|
| SW Corner | 40o06’12" |
73o41’48" |
26796x |
43480y |
SW Corner | 40o00’21" | 74o00’39" |
26921.1x | 43432.6y |
|
| BARNEGAT LIGHT REEF SITE-3.1 Nautical Miles off Barnegat | WILDWOOD REEF SITE-4.5 Nautical Miles off Wildwood | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 39o45’52" |
74o01’06" |
26890.0x |
43282.5y |
NE Corner | 38o58’42" |
74o39’49" |
27029.9x |
42761.1y | |
| NW Corner | 39o45’52" |
74o01’57" |
26895.9x |
43282.7y |
NW Corner | 38o57’48" |
74o41’00" | 27038.8x |
42770.5y | |
| SE Corner | 39o44’37" | 74o01’06" | 26887.2x |
43269.4y |
SE Corner | 38o56’35" |
74o41’24" | 27036.4x |
42746.8y | |
| SW Corner | 39o44’37" |
74o01’57" |
26893.1x |
43269.7y |
SW Corner | 38o57’33" | 74o42’36" |
27045.6x |
42757.0y | |
| DEEPWATER REEF SITE-23.6 Nautical Miles off Ocean City | CAPE MAY REEF SITE-8.5 Nautical Miles off Cape May | |||||||||
| Latitude | Longitude |
LORAN C |
Latitude |
Longitude | LORAN C |
|||||
| NE Corner | 38o59’00" |
74o10’30" |
26856.5x |
42786.5y |
NE Corner | 38o53’27" |
74o39’26" |
27018x |
42713y | |
| NW Corner | 38o59’00" |
74o11’30" |
26862.6x |
42786.1y |
NW Corner | 38o53’58" |
74o40’37" | 27026x |
42719y | |
| SE Corner | 38o58’00" | 74o10’30" | 26854.7x |
42775.8y |
SE Corner | 38o50’04" |
74o42’15" | 27027x |
42674y | |
| SW Corner | 38o58’00" |
74o11’30" |
26860.8x |
42775.4y |
SW Corner | 38o50’40" | 74o43’15" |
27034x |
42679y | |