BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Markers are missing from four artificial reefs that were created a year ago, and shrimpers need to know where they are to avoid snagging their nets on them, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says.
A combination of weather, moving water and time probably pulled buoys away from the 10-acre reefs made in April 2020 from limestone, reefballs and oyster shells, department spokesman Rene LeBreton said in an email.
The department expects to replace the buoys marking the reefs in Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound within the next three to four weeks, he said.
The four reefs are on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's electronic navigational charts, the department said.
They’re called the Lake Borgne, Grand Banks, Cabbage and West Karako reefs.
They're off-limits to oyster harvests because they're intended to serve as oyster broodstock for the surrounding area.
Coordinates of all of Louisiana's inshore, nearshore and offshore artificial reefs are linked at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/artificial-reefs.