October 3, 2019
Staff from the Marine Fisheries Administration deployed the second of three Caisson Gates scheduled for New Jersey's Artificial Reefs. (The first gate was deployed in July on the Atlantic City Reef). On September 26, 2019, crew from Marine Fisheries sunk the 140 foot long by 40 feet high by 25 feet wide caisson gate on the Cape May Reef. This project was dedicated in memory of Ed Kramer and sponsored jointly by the Cape May County Party and Charter Boat Association and TheSportFishingFund.org. The deployment now rests at north 38° 50.699 x west 074° 43.023 in 75 feet of water with a vertical clearance of 35 feet.
A caisson gate is a barrier used to dam off the open end of a dry dock, and is constructed of heavy gauge steel with several tons of ballast in the keel. Due to the nature of construction and heavy gauge of steel, this deployment will serve as habitat for up to 150 various types of marine species for the next 75 years or more.
The vessel deployment coordinates are:
38° 50.699 x west 074° 43.023
The Cape May Reef site is approximately 9.1 miles offshore of Cape May Inlet with a compass bearing of 128°. For further location information see the chart linked below:
Cape May Reef Site Location (pdf, 275kb)
Individuals and groups interested in becoming part of the Artificial Reef Program should contact Peter Clarke, Artificial Reef Coordinator, at 609-748-2020.
For information on past and planned deployments visit the Artificial Reef Deployments page.
For information on the Artificial Reef Program visit the Artificial Reef Program page.
