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The U.S. government is closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit commerce.gov. 

For the latest forecasts and critical weather information, visit weather.gov.

Fish Have a Preferred Style of Artificial Reef

Fish congregate around Artificial Reef 305 (AR-305), located approximately 28 miles off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina. The reef features the 183-foot USCG buoy tender Spar (scuttled in 1988), the 439-foot USN cable layer Aeolus (scuttled in 2004), and 1,700 tons of concrete pipe (deployed in July 2023).
Fish congregate around Artificial Reef 305 (AR-305), located approximately 28 miles off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina. The reef features the 183-foot USCG buoy tender Spar (scuttled in 1988), the 439-foot USN cable layer Aeolus (scuttled in 2004), and 1,700 tons of concrete pipe (deployed in July 2023). Credit: North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

New research by NCCOS and partners has found that bigger, taller artificial reef structures host more fish than smaller, shorter structures. Also, spatially isolated reef structures tend to have more fish than structures closer together. Learn more: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/design-distribution-of-artificial-reef-structures-affect-fish-abundance-video/