sports

outdoors with tou Rodia OUluvoi J wiin ion Kouia

Wanted: New Artificial Reef off Jersey

One of the little known bits of history concerning recreational fishing came into being right here in Cape May County In the mid 30s. a group of sports fishermen created what was the first artificial reef ever built by man along the Atlantic Coast. The area appeared until just a few years ago as the

i •Sanctuary", even though I the rubble and other • material put there had long i gone The mover was the ' then existing ("ape May i Wildwood Party Boat Association under its president. the late Robert Pierpont. The association came up with the concept that an artificial reef would help .• . . f

preserve quality fishing for the future The reasoning came because the best fishing was being found around the wrecks of sunken ships These sunken vessels were providing a source of consistent fishing for the then-existing party boat fleet. TIIK ASSOCIATION received a permit to put old boats, automobiles, weighted pilings and railroad ties, cedar trees, tanks, steel drums, and any other form of debris on which marine growth would attach itself It was presumed, rightfully, that these marine organisms would attract fish Paradoxically. World War II brought a halt to the replenishing of the reef The conflict in Kurope and Asia escalated the value of scrap iron and the supply of metallic material to be put on the reef By the end of the war. the metallic material had rusted away and the sand had buried much of the rubble Bui the war created some reefs of its own. largely through the tragic sinking of a number of vessels along the Atlantic Coast by (ierman submarines. AS KAKI.Y AS the 1950s, we were writing about artificial reefs Our fib's tell us that reefs are being created in Ixith oceans and in fresh water areas in this country and in many places throughout the world ("apt Pierpont. who operated a parly boat out of Wildwood Crest for many years, recognized that much of our Jersey roast I was wide expanses of bar ren sandy bottom where there was no cover for fish and no places for bait and marine growth to gather By creating a "reef" the fish migrating through the area had a place to stop to feed and to find protection from predators WHILE IT IS not actual ly documented that ( apt Pierpont was the creator of the reef idea, it is known that the association, under his leadership, built the first reef in 1935 and 1936.

and added to it in 1937 and 1938. A second reef was started in the Atlantic City area in 1936. Both proved extremely productive. Much Blood, sweat and tears went into the reef construction A permit was applied for and received Environmental considerations were not an impediment as to the choice of materials If one sunk a car, there was no need to sanitize it by degreasing, removing any toxic material and by taking away all traces of chemicals. No one knew or thought that it made any difference BOAT CAPTAIN'S and fishermen alike helped replenish the reef. Anglers made up things at home Some sawed railroad ties in half and stood them in tubs. Cement was poured around the base and another part to the reef was created in the city and brought down in the trunk of a car Some used cedar or Christmas trees. Old drain pipes, old ice boxes, rubble from construction and tires all found their way to the artificial reef, brought there by anglers who delivered it to the dock and in turn, by skippers who were heading for the "Sanctuary Grounds" for a day of fishing THERE WAS a grounds well of cooperative effort Fishermen were united in a project, as were the boat captains They were work ing toward common goal, and even boat captains who did not fish the area joined in So did private boat owners Not only did the fish sanctuary actually work by producing lietter catches, it also helped improve the image of the area for many years, even after the area ceased to have sufficient rubble on it to hold fish For many years after World War II. the reef was mentioned in publicity packets sent out by the City of Wildwood THAT REEK is no more Others have taken its place along the East Coast but sadly, not where the original one was located In the early 1950s the Cape May County Party Boat Association, made up of party and charter boat cap tains, approached the reef project with gusto in the beginning After fighting through the red tape, and after much delay, the association received a per mit from the U.S. Corps of Engineers to build the reef It was heartbreaking, as an outside observer who could assist mainly through writing about the project The red tape battle was horrendous These well intent ioned party boat skippers, led by ("apt Otto Storker. of Wildwood Crest, had to battle uphill through a mountain of paperwork, restrictive regulations, a shortage of manpower, money and material to dump on the site DESPITE ALL of the obstacles, three boats were sunk on the site By the time the boats were made ready, however, the first burst of enthusiasm waned The government regula tions did more to sink the project than all of the ef forts expended to sink the i

i three boats. Money, mans power and enthusiasm ran / out. I We are all for careful scrutiny of the material be1 ing dumped on reefs, but f the cost of preparing the » material to meet regulations is one of the impediments to getting a reef built The mountain of r paperwork still persists. > WE HAVE written in the past that someone should be working on an artificial [ reef off the Cape May Wild- ' wood area. The old Sanctuary grounds would be an ideal spot It is where the reef idea started. It would I be more than fitting if a I reef were started there again, and that it be named after the originator of the i Reef idea. What better than a Robert G. Pierpont ! Memorial reef? The first place to start would be with the formation of a party and charter boat association. We have urged this long and loud, but none has emerged. Perhaps it is asking a lot for people who are in competitive businesses to work together It is done in the motel, campground, boating, marina, teaching, contracting, real estate and many other businesses, however. MEANWHILE, the argu ments put forth by the boat captains themselves include such comments as these "I do not fish there Private boats might fish on the reef A reef would be too "busy" with boats to be effective " These and many other arguments against the reef have answers One. of course, is to make the reef area big enough and to spread the material over a large enough area to make it so that there would be no big concentration Other areas which have reefs have answered all of the above and their reefs are working It is. of course, much easier to do nothing

NOW. WE have our own i project started. We'd like to know more about the I 1935 reef. If there are readers out there who have t any information at all » about the first artificial reef off the Cape MayWildwood coast, or the sef cond reef worked on in the [ early '50s by the party boat association, I would apprecite hearing from them If you have any news I clippings, letters, photos I and memories, and would like to share them. I'd like to talk with you about i them. Call me at' 886-0901 or 465-5121. Or, write me My [ address is Lou Rodia. 6 N Main, Cape May Court House. N.J 08210* Please do not send original material by mail Just tell me what you have (This week's column was written in advance of Hur ricane Gloria, and as soon as I return to the county. we will gather up the reports as to what the storm did or did not do to the fishing.)

( dPe May County ALMANAC <>< TOHKIt IMS MINIS IHASKS/POSITIONN < ORHKt TIO.N TIMKS IK r Mixin ft rllrr I <m the Tide i* < nmpulr approximate timet greater! when elatet I I- h'arlh "f high * water fat vow „n prrigerl ami when in direet ""<• bv adding or .ublrurlin« alignment with Sun t hirth the /allowing number a/ (full s ne u moon On minulet for each tide phate in and ah. ml Ihe.e dale. law "" Tidr Table pre.uae .v.lrm. ..ml'... .Iron* tarn I lit ri-aull in flooding ' Moon l'h«»r» I. OH HIOH Knit M«.n hIM (irP»i Km Harbor Inlet Plux 12 plualo >£!C " (konrity.ahsi Kndm. KWM Uux.lrt PluxIS plus 22 Kail Mnoa 2* < <>r*nn Inlel i bridge > plu»2l plu* 7 Aponer 2/2» Sea Me City l'r-Tl*rr '• , l.udlam Thoro Bridge ' plUAfiB plus 43 TIIIK TAIIIK Sea Isle City Hearh Com/wiled /or Cape Mnv Cit\ minus 2 minus 21 hearhfriml far other area, tee T.mnsend Inlel plus 21 plus 4 OATK II II .11 I OH Seven Mile Hearh am p in am p. in . |& o | 1 "Hie 9 VI III 13 3 .'IB 4 IM 2 Weil III 27 III 4H 4 .ft 1.19 ltor,h"r , 3 Thu II .e nr. 4 14 S 14 <«.real Channel Hridnei , 4 Kn 1 1 411 b 113 V VI p|us 43 plus 441 - r. Sal 12 07 12 22 V 33 6 4? Hereford Inlel Anglesea > 6 Sun I? Ml I II 6 IX 7 31 plus IV 0 , ' 7 Mnn I 36 2 12 7 32 V III Wilduoml Hearh I 6 TUr 3 U3 3» M 36 10 02 Mmm2 minus 17 V Weil 4 12 4 29 III US III 34 . I., m, :. I. >.11 U M .1 « , 11 K'ri 6 II 6 27 II 37 n.rasay I runnel limine < i 12 Sal h Ml 7 14 12 M> 12 Ml plus 46 plus 43 13 Sun ; 4.1 K (12 I 17 I 4.1 Cape May Harhur 14 Mnn X 26 R 47 2 112 2 34 plus I minus 4 I 13 Till- 1 14 9 14 2 Mi I 23 Kive Kathoni Hank J IB Wed 10 02 10 23 3.13 4 12 ^ . 17 Thu I" 3.1 It 2I» 4 21 3 IM ..... 1 IR Kn II <9 3 10 3 39 . « «pe May I'mni , 19 Sal 12 20 12 49 B OB 7 03 P,us * plus 34 20 Siin I 22 I Ml 7 1.1 R II MrCrie Shnal 21 Mini 2 29 2 34 R 27 9 20 plus 2R plus 22 22 Tur .1 .16 I 39 9 17 III IX Itelaware H.n I 23 H>d 4 4.3 3 03 II. 3X II .C Hal shore Oiannel 24 rtlll .4" 3 33 II .11 II VI I4av I '...| lianpl.M 23 Kn 6 2* 6 41 12 19 , Junrl.nn • 26 Sal 7 I* 7 2.1 12 .13 I 114 »"ws *' Plu> * 27 Sun 6 43 6 39 I 14 12 46 Miami llearh 2R Mini 7 IX .*'13 17 32 I 23 plus 73 plus hi 1 29 Tlie Ml H 09 I 2X 2 03 llenms Creek Kntram-e *1 Wed x 2.1 X 44 2 .12 2 42 plusIM pluvr .11 Thu H ,i3 9 19 2 14 .1 IB Hr»ndy»ine Shnal Ughl | Plu* n plus .2 ' ,

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("ity Class In Dancing CAPE MAY - Ballroom dancing will again be offered by the city in its fall recreation schedule This seven-week class will be offered to couples and singles and will cover all of the classic ballroom steps — foxtrot, cha-cha. waltz, rhumba. jitterbug and tango The class will be taught by Dot Burns and is held at the Franklin Street Civic Center 7-9 p.m Wednesday beginning Oct. 23

Win^s 'n Water Results Told AVALON - Results of the Wings 'n Water fivemile run staged here Sept 21 have been announced, with the men's winner turn ing in a 25:49 clocking Winners in the various categories were: Overall (male) — Mike Saythes. (27) :25 49 min . Overall (Female) - Kim Alcorn (25 ) 31:00:3 14 and under i Male) — 1. John Edelstein (14) : 31: 43 I; 2. Scott Flicker lilt 38 27 9 20-29 tmale) I James Boffa ( 27 • 27 48 7; 2 Peter Juhlin <28> 29:46 9. 3 Peter Heigl (29) 29:50 8 :MK!9 (MALE I — I Jim Burke (33) 28:06 7; 2 Mike Naples 28 56 8; 3 Steve Osmer (34) : 29: 04.2 40-49 (male) 1 Ted Armstrong (40) 29 47 4. 2. Patrick Little (43) 31:34 1. 3. Charles Richardson 32:29 9 50 and over imale) — l Richard Corkhill (56) 34:56 0 ; 2. H Detwiler 34:58.3 ; 3 Paul McSorlev (57 ) 37:17 9 15-19 ( male > — l Jonathan Woolley (15) 30:05.8 ; 2. Brandy Sen nhenn (15 ) 34:55 0 20-29 (FEMALE) — 1 Deborah Musarra (29) : 32:21.0; 2. Leigh Ginter (22) 35:52.7; 3 Pat Gallagher (28) :36:23 6 * 30-39 (Female) — 1. Kathee Jespersen (33) : 34: 14.6 2 Linda Cassell : 34: 37.0; 3. Sarah Burns 36:13.1 40-49 (female) — 1 Mildred Duffy 41:28 1; Barbara Hohenstein.

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