The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and New Orleans City Park staff, with the help of volunteers from Atmos Energy, Marriott and the Ritz Carlton, constructed and deployed 23 freshwater artificial reefs into the lakes at New Orleans City Park on Thursday, April 26. The reefs will provide additional habitat for bass and crappie and offer anglers increased fishing opportunities in the park, which is a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike.
Woody debris like trees and branches make for great artificial cover and are part of the habitat enhancement tool kit. However, wood and small limbs decompose relatively quickly and buoyancy can sometimes be an issue. In recent years, LDWF has shifted to plastic as the material of choice for freshwater artificial reef structures, because they proved to be more durable.. The reefs are composed of PVC pipe that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. Fish are expected to begin using the reefs within two weeks of deployment.
Scrap gas pipe for this project was secured through a partnership with Atmos and Entergy, and additional project materials were provided by New Orleans City Park.
Volunteers from Marriott assisted with reef construction, and volunteers from the Ritz Carlton and Atmos Engery helped with reef deployment.
Anglers to New Orleans City Park can use the following coordinates to fish the newly placed reefs:
Marconi in front of fishing pier: (30.008312, -90.098101)
Museum Pond: (29.99022, -90.095306) and (29.989616, -90.095419)
Zachary Taylor Drive: (29.994971, -90.092571)
Bayou Metairie: (29.985061, -90.094044) , (29.984849, -90.093962) and (29.984738,-90.093000)
For locations of all LDWF artificial reefs, check out our ‘Outdoor Explorer Map Tool’ at: http://arcg.is/0GuDKb and click the 'Get on the Water' tab.