CCA SC’s habitat program extends string of marine reefs

Conservation organization seeks to expand habitat today for more fish tomorrow

Columbia, SC – Last week, Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC), the Building Conservation Trust (CCA’s national habitat program), and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) placed a 52-foot long decommissioned naval troop transport off the Lowcountry coast to beginanew career as marine habitat. Settling in approximately 50 feet of water, this latest nearshore reef project represents the fourth offshore reef that CCA SC’s habitat program has organized in the last six years.
“The deployment of this reef is part of our goal to place a string of nearshore reefs along the entire coast of South Carolina,” said Topwater Action Campaign Chairman Gary Keisler. “Enhancing habitat for both fish and fishermen is at the heart of CCA SC’s Topwater Action Campaign, and we expect this program to continue to find new and exciting opportunities that expand recreational angler’s access to productive fisheries habitat.”
CCA SC is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in marine conservation this year and has a hard-earned, well-deserved reputation as the premier conservation group in the state and the region. The Topwater Action Campaign has provided approximately $200,000 in equipment, material, and manpower over the last five summers to habitat efforts along the Palmetto State’s coast. The group has already acquired the material for a fifth reef and are preparing for deployment in the third or fourth quarter of 2016.

“The success that the Topwater Action Campaign has had in such a short time is truly remarkable,” said Mike Able, CCA SC state board member. “It has already gone beyond what we had dared hope to accomplish and it is positioned to do even bigger things for our marine resources.”

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