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Michael- You may want to also consider including a scientific justification for sinking the vessels to create artificial reefs. There has been an ongoing discussion/debate/arguement over marine protected areas (MPAs), in particular the potential use of "no-take" areas, within the scientific and management communities. This issue (marine zoning) is getting quite a bit of attention in the media. There have been recent proposals offered to utilize artificial reefs to either a) create fishing spots to mitigate displacement of anglers from MPAs established on nearby natural bottom, or b) as a scientific tool to study the use of artificial reefs as a potential benefit to fish stocks (whereas the artificial reef itself would be a no-take zone). I can try and dig up some literature for you if you want to add some science to your arsenal. However, a couple of points should be noted to dispel some of the myths that artificial reef proponents have advertised in the past. In many cases, local marine environments are *not* habitat limited. Creating more artificial reefs does not necessarily create more fish. It does not help to provide acres of artificial refugia if there are no fish (if improving fish stocks or increasing biodiversity is included in your goals/objectives for creating an artificial reef). Also, "barren" bottom is not worthless. Many times, the sandy or muddy bottoms, while not particularly attractive to divers, play an important role for marine species as a source of forage. In any case, while economics and the input of tourism dollars from divers may be an attractive reason to sink ships, there are other equally important reasons that should be included if you want to present a sweet package to the media and members of Congress. Just a thought... Cheers, Michael C. Barnette Association of Underwater Explorers Because it's there...somewhere...maybe. http://www.mikey.net/aue _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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