Activity Report for the Period
September 13 - October 10, 2012
Summary During this period there was 1 Reef Construction Trip, 1 Reef Monitoring Trip combined with a chemical testing deployment Trip in FH-14, and a trip to retrieve the testing plates and deploy new ones in FH-2. On September 18, a construction trip was made to deploy Cableone Antennae scraps and small rubble in FH-10. On September 22, the EVA chemical testing cage was deployed in FH-14. Dive monitoring was conducted on the My Wife II (090109/492F14) in FH-14, the Shallow Liberty Ship Hull (780101/110F3) in FH-3, the St. Elmo (081011b/491F2) in FH-2, and the newly renamed Mike Jenner Reef (060624/435F13) in FH-13. On October 9, the EVA plates were retrieved from FH-14 and new plates were deployed in FH-2 on the Colle Tug Boat (950809/147F2).
120918 FH-10 CableOne Antennae Scrap 546F10
Position: 30°15.900'N 88°38.950'W
These Radio Antennae scraps were deployed in FH-10 along with some concrete rubble on September 18, 2012. There were 2 GCRL fish tracking buoys, one near the southeast corner of FH-10 at 30°15.858'N 88°38.938'W. The other buoy was toward the northwest at 30°15.928'N 88°38.971'W. This material was deployed between them mostly concentrated toward the southeast buoy. Water depth was about 16 feet.
http://gallery.primofish.com/2012/Fishing_Diving/MGFB/Deployments/120918_FH-10_Deployment/
090109 My Wife II 492F14
Position: 30°12.403'N / 88°49.844'W
This Shrimp Boat was deployed as part of the DMR Derelect Vessel Program. It landed upright facing toward the east. When deployed, the surrounding depth was recorded at 34 feet and the minimum depth was 19 feet. Observations on this visit showed the same surrounding depth but a minimum depth of 27 feet. The Vessel has sunk into the soft bottom and the railings are about to go below grade. Only a few fish were sighted which included very small Spadefish, pinfish, small mangrove snapper, and sheepshead. The EVA chemical testing plates were attached to the supplied cage. A line was tied to the mast top on the reef and then pulled off to the port side and anchored so that the cage rested about a foot off the bottom. On October 9, the plates were retrieved and shipped overnight to Conneticut for analysis. New plates were attached to the cage and it was redeployed on the Colle Tug Boat in FH-2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqpmxAHdXr4
780101 Shallow Liberty Ship A 110F3
Position: 30°09.942'N 88°45.073'W
This Liberty Ship Hull was also known as the “Waterhouse” and was deployed around 1978 in FH-3. The reef was fortified with Culverts on May 5, 2008 and previously with concrete rubble in the 1990's. A second Hull, the “B” hull, or “Caldwell” mysteriously disappeared after Hurricane Katrina. Depth readings were taken as follows: Surrounding depth 43', Bow 38' to 47', Stern 34' (due to protruding metal) to 46', Gunwales average around 38', bottom inside hull 43'. Fish sightings included red snapper, pinfish, small spadefish, mangrove snapper, and sheepshead. The culverts and rubble seem to enhance the reef and more fish congregate around those structures within the hull. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m__-CLqZYG8
081011b Saint Elmo Shrimp Boat 491F2
Position: 30°04.820'N 88°33.278'W
This 70' Steel Hull Shrimp Boat washed ashore in Pass Christian Harbor during Hurricane Gustav. The Harbor had a lien on the Vessel and somehow obtained ownership and donated it to the DMR. The DMR Derelict Vessel Program paid 100% to recover the Vessel, environmentally clean it, and deploy it in FH-2. Observations on this visit were severely hampered by poor visibility. There was a murk layer that started just at the top of the reef. Fish observations included a healthy population of larger red snapper above the reef along with Triggerfish and Spadefish. On the structure there was a healthy population of pinfish and other bait. Sea urchins were also noted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77rJ6LGeC1o
2
060624 Mike Jenner Tug Boat 435F13
Position: 29°59.794'N / 88°29.892'W
The last dive was made on the Mike Jenner Tug Boat which was renamed at the last MGFB meeting to honor our long time past President Mike Jenner who passed away recently. This ended up being a night dive so observations were limited, but visibility was good and there was a healthy population of red snapper and spades. Urchins and Arrow Crabs were also noted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0UhdMYnxTY