Artificial reefs have a long history in California. CDFW built reefs from the 1960s through the 1980s to increase fish and invertebrate production. In 1985, California established the California Artificial Reef Program (CARP), directing the state to study successful reefs and develop guidance for their design and placement. But the program was never fully implemented. Reef-building activity declined, and without sustained funding, CARP work essentially stopped in 2001. CDFW still lacks dedicated funding and staff to carry out a statewide program.
California is now working to establish a science-based framework for future projects. The draft CARP Plan, developed by CDFW, California Sea Grant and the Ocean Protection Council, provides guidance on reef materials, design, siting and monitoring. CCA California submitted comments on the draft plan, supporting CARP’s reactivation and urging a focus on fish production, responsible siting, active monitoring and long-term stewardship. We also called for standards that advance ecological benefits without creating unnecessary barriers, and for anglers to have a meaningful role in planning and evaluating reefs. Putting projects in the water still takes more than a plan. Individual reefs require environmental review and permits from multiple state and federal agencies, and they need funding for construction, monitoring and long-term management.
California’s offshore oil and gas structures present a separate challenge: the existing federal Rigs-to-Reefs process is voluntary, requires operator participation and regulatory approval, and transfers responsibility for the reefed structure to the state. Numerous requirements have contributed to the difficulty of converting offshore platforms into reefs in California, but it remains a longterm priority for CCA California. The science is clear, these structures provide immense habitat value for a wide variety of species and they are highly valued by the fishing and diving communities.
CCA staff worked with partner organizations to help advance the recent executive order Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation. The order calls out a number of directives to improve saltwater fishing, including an order for the federal government to establish a reef-in-place program for qualifying decommissioned offshore structures and to review permitting pathways for artificial reefs in national marine sanctuaries and monuments. CCA looks forward to working with state and federal agency partners to continue to make progress on this key priority in California.
CCA California has also worked with CDFW on the California Artificial Reef Recreational Use Survey and supports its effort to document how anglers use existing reefs. Better information can help guide future projects and show how reefs serve California’s fishing community. As the state grapples with recent coastal flooding due to El Niño, new artificial reef proposals are being elevated in the hopes that they might be able to play an important role in providing for coastal resiliency and improving nearshore habitat. While the state CARP framework and Rigs to Reefs effort address different opportunities, but both are important pathways to help move artificial reef projects forward, and CCA California is working to advance both initiatives along the California coast.
