Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks, Inc.
Activity Report for the Period
November 11 - December 9, 2010

Summary
During this period there was 1 Reef Monitoring Trip. On November 13 a trip was made to Barge A and the Reef Balls in FH-1 as well as Frank Taylor Reef (Lucky Jimmy) in FH-12.

Click Here for the PDF Report

Dive Summaries
Barge A and it’s Reef Balls in FH-1 (30°03.605'N / 88°36.636'W) was first visited to compare it with Frank Taylor Reef (previously the Lucky Jimmy 30°02.886'N / 88°45.483'W) in FH-12. Frank Taylor Reef is 7.5nm at 265° from Barge A in FH-1. The visit showed the FH-1 reef to be holding much more game fish. Frank Taylor Reef was holding smaller Spadefish and very small juvenile red snapper as well as a single Cobia. The reef itself was not encrusted as much as FH-1, seemed to have more silt, and no sea urchins were observed indicating poor water quality. The Vessel was sinking into the mud and the water conditions were much poorer with low visibility.

840701 Barge-A 21F1
Position: 30°03.605'N / 88°36.636'W 68' Depth
Barge A is a 180' X 70' X 12' Barge that was sunk in the Summer of 1984. Despite its age, the overall structure, including the deck, has held up very well. On November 8, 2001, a load of concrete rubble was deployed on top of and around the barge. This enhancement to the barge deck has proved to be very beneficial to its productivity. Reef Balls were deployed on top of the Deck as well as the surrounding area on October 6, 2009.

Observations of Barge A in FH-1 included Red Snapper (20-25/2-10 lbs), Grouper (5-8/1-8 lbs), Mangrove Snapper (20-25/1-8 lbs), Triggerfish (4-8), and Spadefish (50-75). In addition, a juvenille spotfin butterfly was observed as well as Arrow Crabs, Sea Urchins, Tom Tates, and Stone Crabs. Some of the Reef Balls were broken which seemed to enhance the habitat for these smaller residents. Depth measurements were taken as follows: Barge Deck NW Corner 59', Maximum depth under NW Corner 71', Top of Reef Balls 55', top of Fads attached to Reef Balls 45'. The surrounding depth was 67'. YouTube Video

090530 Frank Taylor Reef 494F12
Position: 30°02.886'N / 88°45.483'W 12316.6/47044.3
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. Deployment Pictures

Observations of Frank Taylor Reef included Spadefish (25-50), Grunts (2-6), Red Snapper (2-4/<1 lbs) and a lone Sheepshead (3 lbs). The fish were noticeably smaller in size compared to FH-1. No corals were seen, but instead algae and grass were littering the structure especially near the bottom. A depth reading of 42' was taken at the Bow and a minimum depth reading of 38' was recorded. The surrounding depth was 44 feet indicating it’s subsiding into the bottom. YouTube Video


Click Here for Pictures & Video of this Trip

Click Here for Deployment Pictures of Frank Taylor Reef

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Author: Mark Primo Miller, Gautier, MS 39553