WUNC: “”We want to have healthy fisheries in North Carolina. Our mission is to help build a sustainable growing fish population for generations,” said David Sneed, executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina. “(To start), you have to have a healthy habitat for the fish to grow and reproduce in. That’s what these artificial reefs provide.”
Artificial reefs are manmade structures that mimic the characteristics of a natural reef. There are approximately 43 ocean artificial reefs and 25 estuarine reefs in North Carolina. State officials strategically place artificial reefs in areas that didn’t previously have reefs. This helps provide refuge for fish and increase fish populations.
The reef cubes deployed in May in the Pamlico Sound were designed specifically to help regionally important species, including striped bass and speckled trout.
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Until now, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) has used “materials of opportunity” for artificial reefs. These materials include vessels, train boxcars, precast concrete, or demolition concrete from destroyed bridges or roads.
Natrx, an engineering and architectural company based in Raleigh, created the reef cubes. Natrx focuses on incorporating nature directly into infrastructure solutions.
“(3D printing) has the ability to tailor (reefs) to the habitat. If you have a cast type technique, you really (only) have one product… (But) the ecological and engineering requirements here might be different than in the Neuse River or out on the Outer Banks,” explained Leonard Nelson, CEO of Natrx. “With the press of a button, we can change the modules, the structure, the geometry, the roughness to match the features that we need for that habitat.””