{"id":5436,"date":"2019-04-29T16:44:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=5436"},"modified":"2019-04-29T16:44:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:44:01","slug":"artificial-reefs-benefit-environment-offshore-enthusiasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/ponte-vedra\/artificial-reefs-benefit-environment-offshore-enthusiasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Artificial reefs benefit environment and offshore enthusiasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Martie Thompson
\n<\/span><\/em>editor@floridanewsline.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Growing up in southwest Florida, Joe Kistel spent his childhood fishing, snorkeling and at the beach. As he became older, he became aware that the reefs offshore where he enjoyed his favorite pastimes were actually artificial reefs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realized an effort was made by individuals to make these reefs,\u201d Kistel said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kistel developed an interest in all things aquatic and attended the University of North Florida, where he earned a degree in marine biology with a minor in engineering. He continued diving and even spent time doing research on coral in Australia. <\/span><\/p>\n

Upon his eventual return to northeast Florida, he realized that the artificial reef movement in this area had been stagnant for about a decade. He soon became aware of a ship that was available to be sunk to form an artificial reef and he coordinated with other groups to make this happen. TISIRI was formed as a placeholder group that brought all the entities together to accomplish the task and in 2009, the ship, \u201cSpike\u201d became TISIRI\u2019s first artificial reef project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kistel said TISIRI, which stands for \u201cThink It, Sink It, Reef It,\u201d has a main focus of providing more offshore marine habitats. The preference is to use recycled materials, such as concrete from demolition projects and old ships, with no other use and place them offshore to let the ocean \u201cdo the work.\u201d Over time, a recreation area for fishing and scuba diving, not to mention marine habitat, will be created. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after the \u201cSpike\u201d in 2009, TISIRI also partnered with Mandarin High School to sink the remainder of the concrete reef balls created by students that had been sitting in the school\u2019s front yard for several years. Kistel said this offered valuable educational opportunities for the students, but generally speaking, TISIRI prefers to save items from landfills and utilize recycled materials for the artificial reefs.The group holds federal permits for 21 artificial reefs, but needs to secure funding for the projects.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThe materials for the artificial reefs are simple to get, but the resources to move them out to the site are harder to get and more expensive,\u201d Kistel said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2009, Kistel said there have been approximately seven offshore artificial reef projects that TISIRI has either taken the lead on or coordinated with entities such as the Coastal Conservation Association. <\/span><\/p>\n

Contrast this with Volusia County, which Kistel said has made 150 artificial reefs offshore in the past seven years. Kistel said TISIRI\u2019s latest pitch is to get local counties, such as Duval, more involved with the process \u2014 including funding. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of what has been accomplished so far,\u201d Kistel said. \u201cI am spending a lot of my time now advocating for the City of Jacksonville to take a more vested interest in these projects. Some counties have in-house departments or staff that work on projects like this on an ongoing basis. Artificial reefs are attractive recreational destinations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another mission of TISIRI is to focus on education and cleanup. Kistel said that once an artificial reef is created, fishermen can fish within days. Immediately after a sinking, schooling fish that like structure for protection will appear and then bigger fish follow. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDiversity of marine life comes with time,\u201d Kistel said. \u201cAlgae forms rapidly and corals and sponges are slow growers over time, but usually within the first year. Within a few years, there is a fairly diverse ecosystem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To address reef maintenance, TISIRI has its Sea Saver Project. A network of the group\u2019s divers can remove decades of snagged monofilament line and abandoned anchor ropes, which can entangle marine life such as sea turtles, in just a few dives. Kistel said he would like to scale this cleanup project up and make it routine every year or two.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is important to share the story of how these reefs are made and also to share the conservation message,\u201d Kistel said. \u201cWith TISIRI, we aim to do just that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit <\/span>www.tisiri.org<\/span><\/a> for more information, and view TISIRI\u2019s documentary, \u201cSunken Conservation\u201d online on YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photos courtesy Larry Davis<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Joe Kistel observes a sinking for an artificial reef.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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