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Artificial reefs attract organisms like anemones, amphipods, mud crabs and polychaete worms, which serve as food for small benthic fish (Naked Goby, Striped Blenny, Oyster Toadfish, and Skilletfish). Bait fish such as killifish, bay anchovies, silversides, and small menhaden congregate and feed within the reef. Reefs also create habitat for juvenile sport fish like White Perch (shown here), Striped Bass, Spot, and Croaker.

By Vicki Paulas, CBEC Restoration Manager

In last month's What's Up? Eastern Shore we published an article explaining how one arm of Bay restoration is working to create reef habitats for fish and oysters—visit us online a twww.whatsupmag.com to review that article.

Creating reef habitats is just the beginning; now comes the most important part of any environmental restoration project—gathering data to measure the project's utility. Are fish using the reefs, and if so, what species, what sizes, and do they hang around, or just pass through? Are they healthy?

A leader in habitat restoration, the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) in Grasonville has established four distinct reef habitats just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at the Kent Narrows . Dedicated to providing programs of education, research, restoration and conservation to advance the Chesapeake Bay and its wildlife, CBEC is located on a 510-acre peninsula of preserved native habitats bounded by Hog Bay , Prospect Bay , Marshy Creek, and Cabin Creek.

Summer reef monitoring programs at the site are in full swing, and the CBEC community invites new volunteers to join them out on the reefs. Read on to discover how you can spend a few hours fishing the reef site, discovering the aquatic species that share our environment, and advancing research to benefit our region's greatest natural resource.

Reef Habitats Must Be Monitored

These tags contain CBEC's phone and the fish identification numbers.

Fish habitat is disappearing in the Bay due to sedimentation from run off and shoreline erosion, creating a flat, muddy bay bottom devoid of plant life and the small creatures that fish depend on for food. Reef balls create habitats by providing a 3-dimensional place for fish to feed, hide, grow, and sometimes spawn. There are various reef ball sites within the Chesapeake Bay ; however, little has been published on the use of reef balls as habitat in an estuarine setting.

Currently, funding for reef ball projects has been put on hold until there is enough substantial published data indicating that these structures serve as a valid restoration tool for fisheries management. Funding for monitoring is scarce. Hence, there is a need for volunteer-based monitoring programs that collect meaningful data. This is the same data that will ultimately prove or disprove the “usefulness” of reef balls in certain areas of the Bay.

Monitoring the Reef Ball Site at CBEC

The reef ball site at CBEC is located in Prospect Bay , and is designed specifically to provide a habitat for sport fish. Consisting of 160 reef balls clustered in groups of five to fifteen on the Bay floor, the site is uniquely located in shallow depths of 5 to 8 feet on average, and contains an oyster bar and submerged aquatic vegetation. All of these factors combined make for a comprehensive restoration project that promotes and generates biodiversity.

The CBEC has developed volunteer monitoring programs that include fish surveying and tagging. These programs identify the species utilizing the site, determine which species show a “fidelity” to the site, gather location data from anglers fishing in places other than the reef ball site, and identify and locate CBEC fish caught on spawning run surveys performed in the local rivers in early spring.

A fish's first look at terrestrial life.

Participate in Fishing Surveys

Anyone with a valid fishing license can participate in the ongoing fishing survey conducted through CBEC by downloading a survey form at www.bayrestoration.org , under “Restoration and Research.” Participants must adhere to a catch-and-release policy.

Anglers who catch a CBEC tagged fish anywhere in the Bay should call in the identification number using the phone number provided on the yellow tag and divulge basic information about that fish such as length, overall health, and location of the catch. Please note any abnormalities.

During last year's reef ball monitoring program at CBEC, one person caught a 42” Black Drum and others observed carp ranging from 3 to 6 feet in length, but most of the catch and release fish ranged from 2 to 24 inches in length. The fishing that anglers encounter at the site will be action packed—last year an average of nine fish per hour were caught, and the highest catch in one hour came in at twenty-five fish!

Due to the shallow nature of the reef and the premise that it was established to create habitat for juvenile sport fish, anglers can expect to get many bites, in short order, from White Perch, Striped Bass, Spot, and Croaker. These are the most common species caught on the reef; however, at certain times of the year other migratory fish such as Bluefish, Weakfish, drum, and flounder may be caught in the vicinity.

The most common baits used last summer were lures and bloodworms; common fishing methods include casting and bottom.

The Particulars of Fish Tagging

CBEC uses fish tags specific to its projects and species. Species less than 6 inches are not tagged. If the air to water temperature ratio is greater than 10 degrees Fahrenheit, tagging will not occur. Tags should never interfere with an animals' range of motion or normal routine. When studying any animal it's always important to minimize stress relative to growth, thermal regulation, and sensory organs.

In general, the CBEC tags are placed below the dorsal fin in the muscle of the fish but above the lateral line or major organs. Fish are tagged using a tagging gun, a pistol-like apparatus with a fine-gauge needle at the end, loaded with T-bar tags. Positioning the tagging gun at a 45-degree angle below the dorsal fin, the tag is injected. After a light tug on the tag to insure it's anchored, the tag number, type of fish, length and sex (if known) is recorded. The fish is then gently placed back in water.

Volunteer Opportunities at CBEC

Besides fishing and tagging, there are other volunteer opportunities associated with the reef-monitoring program. Volunteers can help plant oysters on the reefs, aid in monitoring oysters through sampling, perform invertebrate surveys on the reef balls, and document reef happenings through underwater video and photography.

The ultimate goal is to have participants become stewards of the bay, while having fun through education and hands-on experiences that turn knowledge into action. To tag fish or become more involved in other CBEC restoration projects, volunteers must participate in a free, informative training program. Visit www.BayRestoration.org or call 410-827-6694.