CLEARWATER BEACH, Florida (12 Nov 2003) -- Captain J.D. Arndt pilots a clunky barge, the M.V. Tortuga, into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Onboard are 40 tons of old concrete culverts he has been told to dump. He has dumped plenty else in the Gulf as part of Pinellas County's efforts to build artificial reefs offshore. Now, the state and counties such as Pinellas with miles of coastline are considering creating even larger artificial reefs. Scientists and other experts agree new local reefs are sure to attract scores of marine life. But don't expect tourists to flock to them. Unlike in South Florida, neither the state nor the region's counties have leveraged artificial reefs as a way to boost tourism, and thus jobs and paychecks, to the Tampa area. "Statewide we simply are missing the boat on tourist promotion with artificial reefs, and I don't know why," said Ed Roberts, chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a diving enthusiast. No one has studied how much money divers and anglers, the two sporting groups most likely to be attracted by artificial reefs, pump into the Tampa Bay area economy. But on Florida's east coast, where at least four counties closely track diving's effect on their economies, divers log an estimated 28 million visits to natural and artificial reefs a year. A 2001 report estimated that in Miami-Dade County, the diving industry generated $1.3 billion in related business, from dive boat tours to sales of scuba equipment. Local tourism experts don't think diving and fishing generate anywhere near that figure in the Tampa Bay area. But with an array of spent and mothballed military equipment being made available to Pinellas and other counties for artificial reefs, some state authorities and business leaders are beginning to ask how the region can use reefs to boost tourism -- and sales dollars. "We have excellent artificial reefs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and we certainly are interested in expanding those to create more interest," said Dick Corbett, a Tampa developer who serves on the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We have one of the best sources for diving and fishing right off our back door. But while South Florida recognizes the economic impact that artificial reefs can provide, the Tampa area has a long way to go to reach out and create more tourism." The artificial reefs program isn't costly to taxpayers: the state spends about $600,000 annually, and counties such as Pinellas and Hillsborough spend about $100,000. The costs are aided by the military and businesses donating mothballed materials. For example, a Tampa company, Seabulk Towing, donated a tugboat, the Orange, that was sunk off St. Pete Beach in April. Joe Bailey, who runs a dive shop on Treasure Island and started a youth diving program, often dives in the Gulf. | | "It is the most serene place I've ever been, just to back off and see ecosystems working off the coast, seeing the Goliath grouper, the mackerel coming in, the schools of jacks going to work," he said. "Every inch of what covers the reefs is alive." He said the region could gain traction for its tourism efforts by smartly marketing the 13 artificial reefs off Pinellas County and creating reefs. "We cannot build Disney on our island, but maybe we can attract more people to come from Orlando for what we have," Bailey said. J. David Miller, the new executive vice president of the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm and an avid diver, said that after he moved to the area from California, he was amazed at how good diving sites were in the Gulf. Now the Storm has pledged support for a youth diving program Bailey runs. "Artificial reefs can help the ecology, the economy and youth," Miller said. "It's a triple whammy." But environmental protection interests are concerned about marketing artificial reefs too heavily for tourism. "We are not opposed to putting down reefs that can serve tourism purposes, but we must focus on the help these reefs can provide for the fishing habitat," said Marianne Cufone, of The Ocean Conservancy in St. Petersburg. Said Jon Dodrill, environmental director for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and director of the state's artificial reefs program: "The artificial reefs program is not a panacea to cure all of the state's fishery management issues, let alone as recreation and economic development tools." More, and larger, artificial reefs seem destined for Florida waters. On Friday, the seven-member state conservation board will recommend at a meeting in St. Petersburg whether a Panhandle or Miami-area site is the best spot to sink the USS Oriskany -- an 888-foot Korean War aircraft carrier. South Carolina and Texas also are vying for the Oriskany. The waters near Tampa and St. Petersburg aren't under consideration for the prize because they are too shallow. Soon after the Oriskany decision, the commission will reconvene to discuss and approve a long-term strategy for artificial reef development. That plan will direct Florida to improve its artificial reefs program so it generates greater scientific, recreational and tourism payoffs, said Corbett of the wildlife conservation commission. Barge captain Arndt said: "We need to be thinking about [sinking] bigger ships. We need to be ready to go." |
