Charlotte County

• Punta Gorda
• Port Charlotte

Punta Gorda Waterfront Juvenile Fisheries Habitat

AWARD STATUS: COMPLETED

The Charlotte Harbor Reef Association and its cadre of volunteers creatively formed habitat for juvenile fish. The Association is building “reef balls,” igloo shaped concrete structures, and placing them under fishing piers, fishing docks, and private docks in Charlotte Harbor. The artificial habitat is constructed from super-strong concrete perforated with holes placed to allow juvenile fish to move throughout. The artificial habitat provides juvenile fish a safe shelter from larger predatory fish and allows other estuarine life to attach and serve as food for a host of estuarine organisms. Mangroves perform this critical function, but they are too often removed or degraded in the wake of development. Although not ideal, reef balls help reclaim this lost habitat.

Through this project, members of the Association have placed 72 reef balls near Laishley, Gilchrist and Nature Parks and public fishing piers in Punta Gorda, 180 under private docks at Punta Gorda Isles, and 210 off Alligator Creek in Charlotte Harbor reef. They have also placed 250 offshore in Lee County in the deep waters off Cape Haze.

Sponsor(s):
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
Reef Ball Foundation
Krehling Industries

Institution(s):
Charlotte Harbor Reef Association

Field of Focus:
Fish habitat creation

Study Site:   Punta Gorda

Award Amount:   $6,100

Award Period:   1999 – 2000

Home Page:   https://www.chnep.org/

Keywords:   Juvenile fish, Artificial reef, Reefball, Estuarine organisms