Artificial Reef Program

The Miami-Dade County Artificial Reef Program was established in 1981. Documented artificial reed construction in Miami's coastal waters, however, predates the program by more than five decades.

Over this time the County has supervised the deployment of an extensive amount of material among 11 inshore and 17 offshore artificial reef sites including almost 50 large vessels, two retired oil production platforms, thousands of tons of cast concrete materials and natural limestone, and U.S. Army surplus military tanks.

Miami-Dade has also become known as a premier wreck-diving destination. As a result of these combined efforts, the Miami-Dade County program is regarded as the largest (in terms of materials deployed) program of its kind in Florida, which leads the nation in number of established artificial reef sites.

Presently the program seeks to provide enhancement in three areas:

Habitat restoration and enhancement
Fisheries management
Increase recreational diving opportunities

Related Resources

Read about artificial reef deployments
Read about artificial reef monitoring

Miami-Dade County's Artificial Reef Program is funded through a variety of ways:
- Permit or mitigation obligations
- State and federal grants
- Private or corporate donations
The most important contributions to the Artificial Reef Program are those from individuals, corporations, agencies and foundations that value the protection and enhancement of South Florida marine and estuarine habitats. All contributions are tax deductible, and can be monetary or donations of appropriate artificial reef materials including limerock boulders, pre-cast concrete to steel vessels (wood, plastic, rubber and fiberglass materials are not accepted).

The program is primarily sustained through these charities and volunteer efforts from the public, allowing for our precious reefs to be maintained and our marine environment enhanced.

If you love to dive or fish in South Florida, or just want to contribute to a cause that directly benefits the marine environment in your own back yard, here's your chance. You can send your monetary contribution to the address listed below, or if you have material you would like to donate, send an email to [email protected] and we will contact you to discuss possible utilization of your items.

You can send your tax-deductible monetary donation to:

ARTIFICIAL REEF COORDINATOR
C/O MIAMI-DADE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
701 NW 1ST COURT
MIAMI FL 33136

Please include your email address, so we can email you a receipt for your donation.
Effective November 2, 1990, the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site was designated as a Special Management Zone (SMZ) by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This designation is the result of a request initially submitted by the Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) in 1985 to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC). DERM’s request received final approval from the SAFMC in November 1989.

The intent of the Special Management Zone designation is to restrict the use of highly efficient or selective fishing gear within the boundaries of the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site, thereby limiting the potential impacts of unrestrained fishing pressure, while maintaining most recreational uses of the site.

Restricted activities

Within the boundaries of the Key Biscayne Special Management Zone, the following types of fishing gear are prohibited from use:
- Fish Traps
- Bottom Long Lines
- Spear guns of any type including slings and pole spears
The original SMZ regulations also prohibited the harvest of Goliath Grouper by any method within the site. Since that time the Goliath Grouper has been designated as a protected species by the State of Florida, and the harvest or possession of this species is prohibited in all Florida waters.

Special Management Zone Boundaries

The Key Biscayne Special Management Zone site boundaries are defined as follows:
- Cornerpoint: Northwest
  - Latitude (N): 25° 42.800'
  - Longitude (W): 80° 05.516'
  - Depth: 35'
- Cornerpoint: Northeast
  - Latitude (N): 25° 42.800'
  - Longitude (W): 80° 04.200'
  - Depth: 350'
- Cornerpoint: Southwest
  - Latitude (N): 25° 41.316'
  - Longitude (W): 80° 05.516'
  - Depth: 35'
- Cornerpoint: Southeast
  - Latitude (N): 25° 41.316'
  - Longitude (W): 80° 04.200'
  - Depth: 350'
Please note that all natural and artificial reefs/wrecks within the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site fall under the SMZ, and all fishing activities conducted on these reefs are subject to the established gear restrictions and other regulations. Please report all violations to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement at 305-956-2500, or Miami-Dade County at 305-372-6789.

To view an interactive map of the Key Biscayne SMZ, go to the Artificial Reef Locator, and select Reef Site under the Find Reef list, then click Key Biscayne "SMZ."
Artificial Reefs are essentially made of durable, stable and environmentally safe materials (usually steel or concrete) placed on an area of ocean bottom conducive to reef building plants and animals. Once the material is in place, it acts in the same way that naturally occurring rock outcroppings do by providing the hard surface needed for reef-building organisms like barnacles, corals, sponges and clams to begin their creation.

These organisms create the foundation of the marine food web and mature artificial reefs provide food and shelter to over-harvested fish populations, which help provide a home to the multitudes of organisms that have adapted to life on coral reefs. They eventually colonize and inhabit almost every square inch of these man-made structures, providing nearly all the same habitat benefits as naturally occurring reef habitats.

Our tourism industry derives significant benefits from artificial reefs. Miami-Dade County has become world renown as a wreck-diver’s paradise. The variety of materials used along with the fantastic diversity of marine life that inhabits our artificial reefs has spawned a diving industry specializing in artificial reef dives. These artificial reefs attract fishers and divers who enjoy the same experience as they would at a natural reef, while deflecting the pressure of human interaction with the natural reef system.

Because reefs are one of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world, they are highly regarded by some biologists for their potential, undiscovered biomedical resources. Reefs here in South Florida are most important for their role of protecting our coastal communities from storms, wave damage, and erosion by decreasing the speed of wave action. These are just a few reasons why reefs are so vital to our future.
The Miami-Dade County Artificial Reef Program was established in 1981 and is currently managed by Environmental Resources Management's Restoration and Enhancement Section. Documented artificial reef construction in Miami's coastal waters, however, predates the Miami-Dade County program by more than five decades.

Artificial reef construction in Miami-Dade County has a documented history of more than 80 years, beginning in 1920 when an abandoned ship on the Miami River was sunk off the coast to create a new fishing area.

This motivation for constructing artificial reefs continued into the 1940's through the efforts of charter boat captains on Miami Beach. Pflueger Marine Taxidermy made a significant contribution, acquiring and sinking 15 large vessels from the 1969 to 1980.

The Miami Sportfishing Club became involved in artificial reef construction with the sinking of four large vessels south of Fowey Rocks during the 1970's and early 80's. During the 1980's the former Dade Sport Fishing Council, R.J. Diving Ventures and Fish and Game of Homestead worked to acquire and deploy 12 large vessels and other artificial reef materials.

Miami-Dade County, seeking to emphasize restoration and enhancement goals and maximize effectiveness of community resources, began coordinating artificial reef construction over twenty-five years ago.

During this period, Miami-Dade County developed permit applications or assisted other applicants to establish offshore and inshore artificial reef sites, which span the length of Miami-Dade's 35 nautical mile coast.

The ability of artificial reefs to attract and support diverse assemblages of marine life also made them vulnerable to the potentially adverse effects of unrestrained fishing pressure. For this reason, in 1985, Miami-Dade County solicited the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to establish the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site as a Special Management Zone (SMZ) ;to restrict certain types of fishing gear thereby limiting the potential impacts of unrestrained fishing pressure, while maintaining most recreational uses of the site."

In 1990, federal agencies approved the SMZ prohibiting fish traps, bottom long lines, and spear guns of any type including slings and pole spears.

Environmental Resources Management has supervised the deployment of an extensive amount of material among 11 inshore and 17 offshore artificial reef sites including almost fifty (38 in 1996) large vessels, two retired oil production platforms donated by Tenneco Oil Corporation, thousands of tons of cast concrete materials and natural limestone, specially-designed pre-fabricated modules, an aircraft, and U.S. Army surplus military tanks.

As a result of these combined efforts, the Miami-Dade County program is regarded as the largest (in terms of materials deployed) program of its kind in Florida, which leads the nation in number of established artificial reef sites.

Over the years, the Artificial Reef Program has grown in its scope, and broadened it's focus. Presently the program seeks to provide enhancement in three areas:
- Habitat restoration and enhancement
- Fisheries management
- Increase recreational diving opportunities
In fact, in large part due to the artificial reef program, Miami-Dade has been known as a premier wreck-diving destination. Additionally over the past 10 years, the program has placed over 20 acres of carbonated-based materials, targeting development of benthic organisms and fish, which has resulted in the enhancement of nearly 90 acres of marine habitat.