Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Artificial Reef Program
Since 1984, the Marine Resources Administration has been involved in an intensive program of artificial reef construction and biological monitoring. The purpose is to create a network of artificial reefs in the ocean waters along the New Jersey coast to provide a hard substrate for fish, shellfish and crustaceans, fishing grounds for anglers, and underwater structures for scuba divers. Deployments are donated and funded by outside organizations with oversight and coordination provided by the NJDEP Fish and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program. For more information on the program, please visit the links below.
What is an artificial reef?
Learn about the positive effects of artificial reefs on various marine inhabitants from plants to invertebrates to fish.
Artificial Reef Deployment Map
Explore New Jersey’s interactive map to find information about deployment’s and marine and estuarine fishing grounds.
Artificial Reef Ventless Trap Survey
Learn about New Jersey’s effort to monitor the success of artificial reefs on various crab and fish populations.
Artificial Reef Locations
Ready to print!
Reef coordinates in Digital Global Positioning System (DGPS) are formatted in degrees, decimal minutes (ddd° mm.mmm’) and are available in the Reef Guide in PDF format.
RECENT DEPLOYMENTS
More information about the deployments below.
2024
February 12, 2024
Little Egg Inlet Reef
16 Reef Balls
Sponsored the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association
39° 28.392′ N and 74° 01.087′ W
April 16, 2024
Ocean City Reef
7 Eternal Reef Balls
Sponsored the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club 39° 09.872′ N and 74° 34.028′ W
2023
March 10, 2023
Garden State North Reef
15 Reef Balls
Sponsored by the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association and The Sport Fishing Fund
May 8, 2023
Ocean City Reef
8 Eternal Reef Balls
Sponsored by the families and friends of those being remembered
39° 10.523′ N and 74° 33.026′ W
June 29, 2023
Barnegat Light Reef
TIBOR Tug, a 45′ tug boat built in 1957 that was originally used as a coastal tug around New York Harbor
Sponsored by the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association and The Sport Fishing Fund
39° 45.792′ N and 74° 01.191′ W
June 30, 2023
Ocean City Reef
4 Memorial Reef Balls
Sponsored by the families and friends of those being remembered
39° 10.545′ N and 74° 33.034′ W
August 11, 2023
Cap May Reef
F/V CAT, a 90′ decommissioned steel scallop boat
Sponsored by the South Jersey Artificial Reef Association and The Sport Fishing Fund
39° 50.710′ N and 74° 42.708′ W
August 11, 2023
Garden State North Reef
F/V STORM, a 90′ decommissioned steel scallop boat
Sponsored by the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association and The Sport Fishing Fund
39° 37.249′ N and 74° 01.178′ W
2022
May 17, 2022
Ocean City Reef
11 Memorial Reef Balls
Sponsored by the families and friends of those being remembered
39° 10.148′ N and 74° 33.579′ W
June 7, 2022
Manasquan Inlet Reef
Over 200 seventh graders from Robert R. Lazar Middle School in Montville, NJ, assisted NJDEP’s Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Administration staff with making artificial reef ball structures as part of a grant received in 2019.
Eager students learned how to build these concrete structures by hand that will serve as home to several marine species on the ocean floor. The reef balls were deployed on the Manasquan Inlet Reef.
40° 04.784′ N and 073° 59.420′ W
June 9, 2022
Manasquan Inlet Reef
12 concrete reef balls constructed by middle school students from Lazar Middle School
Sponsored by Lazar Middle School and The Sport Fishing Fund
40° 04.915′ N73° 59.738′ W
August 12, 2022
Little Egg Inlet Reef
16 reef balls
Sponsored by family and friends of the Carl Shepard Memorial Reef
39° 28.512 N74° 10.446 W
August 19, 2022
Ocean City Reef
12 Memorial Reef Balls
Sponsored by Memorial Reef International
August 24, 2022
Barnegat Light Reef
17 Reef Balls
Sponsored by the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association
39° 44.700′ N and 74° 01.500′ W
2021
January 14, 2021
Little Egg Reef
A 200′ barge, along with a 45′ tugboat and 40′ push boat
Sponsored by Beach Haven Charter Boat Association’s Junior Mate Program with donations from The Sport Fishing Fund
40° 04.784′ N and 073° 59.420′ W
January 14, 2021
Manasquan Inlet Reef
65′ Tugboat
Sponsored by the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club with donations by The Sportfishing Fund
40° 04.784′ N and 073° 59.420′ W
May 19, 2021
Manasquan Inlet Reef
F/V CARTERS CREEK, a 140′ decommissioned bunker boat
Sponsored by Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association and The Sportfishing Fund
40° 05.010′ N and 073° 59.632′ W
May 21, 2021
Barnegat Reef
400 gravestones and concrete rubble weighing 60 tons
Sponsored by Schick monuments of Millville and South Jersey Monuments of Vineland
39° 45.320′ N and 074° 01.600′ W
