Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks, Inc.
Activity Report for the Period
May 14 thru June 11, 2009

Summary
During this period there was one reef monitoring trip and two Vessel Deployments. On May 16, a Dive Trip was made to the Gerald Corcoran and Kay Eckstein Reefs in FH-13. On May 28, 2009, the Chevron Vessel was deployed in FH-3. On May 30, the Shrimp Boat “Lucky Jimmy” was deployed as the “Frank Taylor” Reef in FH-12. Click Here for the PDF Report

090528 Chevron Vessel 493F3
Position: 30°09.935'N / 88°45.002'W     12320.0/47071.6
This 48' X 12' Steel Hull Utility Vessel was washed up on Chevron property by Hurricane George in 1998. Hurricane Kartina moved the Vessel further up into Chevron property in 2005. Chevron contacted the Mississippi Derelect Vessel program to remove the unclaimed boat. After public notices and a court order, the Vessel was removed, cleaned, and deployed in FH-3 (Shallow Liberty Ship Site) on May 28, 2009, 1:18PM, at the above coordinates. She appeared to land upright in 45 feet of water with a clearance of about 40 feet with the bow facing in a generally West direction. Weather conditions were relatively calm and flat with a slight current running from West to East.
Click Here for Deployment Pictures







090530 Frank Taylor Reef 494F12
Position: 30°02.886'N / 88°45.483'W     12316.6/47044.3
The Frank Taylor reef was originally a Vietnamese-American owned 45' x 14' Dauphin Island shrimping vessel named "Lucky Jimmy" documentation #1042011. It was in poor condition and had reached the end of its usable life. The owner, Mr. Nguyen, transferred it to National Fisheries Restoration to be retired and transitioned to life as an artificial reef. It was stored, environmentally prepared and deployed by Gulfstream Enterprises Inc to Fish Haven 12 as the "Frank Taylor Reef." The reef is named in memory of Frank A. Taylor (Nov. 10, 1978 - Oct. 24, 2007.) It was deployed by Gulfstream on behalf of the family and friends of Frank. As the reef develops, we hope it will become a living tribute to his life and love of the water. The Vessel was deployed in FH-12 on May 30, 2009 in about 44 feet of water with about 20 feet of water clearance. The Vessel appears to have landed upright with the bow facing in a generally northeast direction. Winds were Northeast at about 10 knots.
Click Here for Deployment Pictures







060624 Gerald C. Corcoran Reef 435F13
Position: 29°59.527'N / 88°30.610'W
This 145' River Tug Boat is sitting upright in about 86' of water within FH-13. Initially a water clearance of 49 feet was recorded at the top of the Radar Antenna, but now the Radar Antenna has come off it’s mount and lies on the port stern corner of the roof of the Wheel House. A minimum depth of 52 feet was recorded and comparisons of current depth measurements with those taken in May 2008 indicated no changes. Fish Observations included Red Snapper (1-12lbs./50-75), Gag Grouper (1-10lbs./15-20), Mangrove Snapper (1-3lbs./8-12), Trigger Fish (8-10), Sheepshead (1-5lbs./4-6). No tropicals were noted and only a few urchins were observed. Overall the Reef is doing nicely with a decent population of game fish.
LINKS: July 2006 Pictures     August 2007 Visit    November 2007 Pictures    October 2008 Visit    May 2009 Pictures



050520 Kay A Eckstein, 431F13
Position: 29°59.552'N / 88°29.700'W
This large 150 foot Mississippi River Tugboat was sunk on May 20, 2005 in the southeast corner of FH-13 in about 88 feet of water. A report was presented in November 2006 that assessed the significant damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Poor Visibility hampered efforts on that trip as well as on a November 2007 visit. However, this visit was met with acceptable visibility and revealed the significant damage. Most of the Vessel is submerged below the mud line and wallowed into a 10-15 foot deep hole. All that is left now is the Stern Starboard Quarter sticking up perhaps 8 feet. A Shrimp Net was entagled on it with the Turtle Extruder Device hanging another 11 feet above it due to floats on it. Depth readings indicated 74 feet at the top of the TED and 85 feet at the base. The deepest reading obtained was 102 feet. Surprisingly, the reef is still producing some nice fish, perhaps due to the satellite rubble reefs placed around her. Observed were Red Snapper (40-50/4-25lbs.), Gag Grouper (10-12/4-15lbs.), Mangrove Snapper (6-8/1-3lbs.), and Spadefish (50-75).
LINKS: July 2005 Visit     August 2005 Visit     November 2006 Visit     November 2007 Visit     November 2007 Pictures   






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Author: Mark Primo Miller, Gautier, MS 39553