The Lake Borgne, Grand Banks, West Karako Bay, and Cabbage Reef artificial reef sites were established in April 2020.  Buoys were placed at each reef site at the time of deployment but are currently missing. LDWF is working to replace the buoys on these reefs and reminds shrimpers to be mindful of the reef locations in the Mississippi Sound and Lake Borgne waterways. The four reefs have been charted on NOAA’s Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC).

Coordinates for the reefs are as follows:

• Lake Borgne Reef: 30° 04’ 17.004”, 89°35’ 06.396”
• Grand Banks Reef: 30° 08’ 50.064”, 89° 22’ 51.708”
• Cabbage Reef: 30° 07’ 59.4120”, 89° 14’ 49.524”
• West Karako Reef: 30° 01’ 00.012”, 89° 16’29.064”

The 10-acre reef sites were selected to cover a broad range of salinities, which are within the optimum range for popular recreational saltwater species like speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. The four reefs are composed of over 80 cubic yards of oyster shell, 880 tons of limestone, and 130 reefballs. All inshore artificial reef sites are protected from oyster harvest to allow oysters growing within the four reef permit areas to serve as oyster broodstock for the surrounding area.

For more information, including additional reef locations and maps, please visit the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program site at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/artificial-reefs or contact Ashley Ferguson at [email protected].  For more information on NOAA’s Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data, visit https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ENCOnline/enconline.html.