Four miles north of Grand Isle, large cranes dumped bulbous, gray lumps of concrete into Barataria Bay on Wednesday morning. The lumpy structures will become a new habitat for sport fish and smaller organisms after the demolition of a defunct oil rig last year destroyed wildlife habitat and the local fishing economy.
The new artificial coral reef will cover 10,000 square feet, spread across four areas in a 10-acre area, and will consist of more than 500 individual structures. Dubbed the “Cajun Coral,” the reef was the result of a $100,000 donation from Todd Graves, founder of Raising Cane, in collaboration with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
“Being from Louisiana, a fisherman and an environmentalist, this is a really exciting day for me and I’m really proud to support CCA in building this reef,” Graves said.
Technology company Nastrx used a method similar to 3D printing to design the reefs to be particularly well adapted to the marine climate. The irregular shapes of the structures increase the reef surface area – thus encouraging more wildlife activity with less material. Danos, an energy services company, printed and installed the reefs.
Last year, an abandoned oil rig called “Hotel SID” was removed. Rad Trascher, deputy executive director of CCA Louisiana, said the site was a “flashpoint” for the fishing community. Graves, who grew up as a fisherman on Grand Isle, also said the removal of the reef was depressing because it was destroying marine life and impacting anglers. The new reef was named “Raising Cane’s Hotel SID” in honor of the old oil rig and Graves’ generous donation.
Workers use a special claw on an excavator to lower one of 500 3D-printed concert modules from a barge into the Gulf to help build a reef as Todd Graves and state and local officials watch, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Grand Isle, Louisiana.
“Spring next year”
According to LDWF, the reef will be a habitat for popular fish such as trout, redfish, smallmouth bass, sheepshead sea trout and flounder. It will also be home to smaller organisms such as mussels and corals. David Cresson, executive director of CCA Louisiana, estimates the reef will produce fish within the next few months.
“Each one is a little different,” he said, noting that small organisms appear almost immediately after installation. “Spring next year would be a good time to start exploring the Hotel Sid reef.”
The reef project will cost about $500,000, Cresson said, and will be funded through a combination of CCA funds, Graves’ donation and state grants from the LDWF’s Artificial Reef Trust Fund.
During the reef installation press conference, Graves also announced his plans to contribute to the funding of four additional artificial reefs with a total donation of $500,000.
“Why just one? Then we’ll make five,” he said.
Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid is the 52nd artificial reef CCA Louisiana has installed in partnership with LDWF since 2002 and the fifth reef to feature Nastrx Exoform structures. It is also the largest reef CCA Louisiana has installed since 2018.
“This is another opportunity for us to get our anglers out on the water and give them more opportunities to fish every day,” said LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan.
Using a special claw, workers lift one of 500 3D-printed concert modules to lower it into the Gulf to help build a reef in Grand Isle, Louisiana, Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
“A desolate wasteland”
So far, the reefs built with the irregularly shaped concrete structures have shown “very promising results and good productivity,” Cresson said. Last week, he traveled to one of those reefs – near Port Fourchon on a small piece of land called Pelican Island – and caught fish.
“Before we built this reef, it was a desolate wasteland,” Cresson said.
Nastrx, based in Raleigh with offices in Amelia, has deployed its technology in the Chesapeake River and around the Gulf of Mexico, and earlier this year committed to a coastal restoration project in Hawaii. The technology company custom-builds its concrete blocks to fit specific habitats using a process similar to 3D printing called dry forming, explained Dylan DiBona, Nastrx’s director of brand and marketing.
In the case of the converted SID hotel, the company designed structures that allow space for passing boats at a depth of 6 to 8 feet while attracting as much marine life as possible. The oddly shaped concrete reef is somewhat reminiscent of cypress knees, DiBona said, which draws marine organisms to the rough surface and creates a water current that attracts fish.
Nastrx’s structures promote permanent habitat and ecological benefits that compound over time, DiBona said, while using less material than some other artificial reefs, which can be made from cement balls or pyramids, recycled oyster shells, recycled concrete or rocks.
“You see all the little bumps and nooks and crannies,” Cresson said. “If you just put a concrete block there, a square block, that would be fine, it would attract life, but the surface area is much smaller.”
