ABSTRACT
Saltwater sport fishing is a major recreational activity in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia’s current state-supported artificial reef program is a product of efforts which began in 1970 with the formation of the Tidewater Artificial Reef Association of Virginia. The state program placed the tires in low-profile bales strung on steel cable. Offloading was accomplished by a boat pulling the tires off of a barge by means of a continuous cable. Split tires are used to increase the density of the module. They cannot trap air and initial observations suggest they will sand in with little movement should the module break up. The bottom layer of the pyramid is tied down with heavy chain imbedded in the base. Successive layers are held together by stainless steel strapping. Midwater Fish Aggregating Devices have been deployed during the first year of the study.
