Artificial Reefs Map Updated to Include New and Expanded Sites Off New York, Virginia

Available in both the Fishing and Habitat themes, the Artificial Reefs layer has long been one of the most popular on the Portal. The map shows polygons outlining the general areas where artificial reef material has been deposited (entire zones are not necessarily filled with reefs). Users can click on any reef site to learn its name.

Composed of objects such as decommissioned ships and sunken rail cars, the region’s artificial reefs serve as underwater cities where marine organisms aggregate and thrive. With corals and plants growing on the wrecks and fish teeming around them, the sites are major attractions for recreational and commercial fishers and SCUBA divers. Their value to ocean users becomes apparent when the Artificial Reefs layer is activated in combination with maps such as the state Recreational Uses Workshop layers (see right).

The Portal Team worked with its state partners from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to review the data in the previous map version and identify any missing or changed reef areas. Below are the notable changes:

• NEW YORK: Four new artificial reefs were added: Huntington/Oyster Bay Reef, Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai Reef, Mattituck Reef, and Sixteen Fathom Reef. Nine reef delineations were revised to reflect new boundaries: Smithtown Reef, Shinnecock Reef, Moriches Reef, Yellowbar Reef, Kismet Reef, Fire Island Reef, Hempstead Reef, McAllister Grounds, and Rockaway Reef.
• VIRGINIA: Two new reef areas were added: Newport News Middle Ground Reef and East Ocean View Reef.

Additionally, the Portal’s Artificial Reefs: New York Proposed Expansions and New Sites map layer has been retired. New and expanded reef areas shown in that map have since been approved by the state, and are now reflected in the Artificial Reefs layer.