Sport Fish Restoration Funding for Natural and Artficial Reefs in US Northeast Marine Waters

The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) program has been one of the main pillars of fisheries funding in the United States since 1950.  The current annual SFR federal apportionment to state agencies is $326 million in FY14 for projects that benefit recreationally important finfish and their habitats and provide recreational fishing opportunities.  During the 20-year period FY1990-2009, $14 million federal was spent on Northeast marine habitat improvement (mostly artificial reef) projects.  This represented about two percent of all SFR freshwater and marine expenditures and about six percent of SFR marine expenditures in the Northeast.  All Northeast coastal states except Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire have developed artificial reefs using materials ranging from liberty ships to concrete reef balls.  In 2014, Rhode Island started an experimental oyster reef development program with SFR funding.  Two major artificial reef challenges have surfaced in the Northeast requiring special management approaches in recent years.  User conflicts between recreational and commercial fishers have forced regulations promulgation.  Management control issues of reefs constructed outside state territorial waters has resulted in the termination of SFR funding for the artificial reef program in New Jersey and involvement of regional fishery management councils and the National Marine Fisheries Service.