2013-03-26T18:09:44-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer http://www.mcacreefs.org

2013-03-25T18:09:44-04:00 2013-03-26T18:09:44-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/15 "SOUTH ATLANTIC"  FREE Federal Fishing Regulations Mobile App   News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2013 CONTACT: Kim Iverson 877/SAFMC-10 or 843.571.4366 kim.iverson@safmc.net   App highlights fishing regulations and much more Now available for iPhone and Android      Heading out to fish in federal waters in the South Atlantic?     Wondering what fish you can catch and keep?     We've got the solution - download the new FREE federal fishing regulations app for the South Atlantic -  SA Fishing Regulations - before you hit the water or wet your line! 2013-01-01T14:27:20-05:00 2013-04-12T14:27:20-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/16 LIONFISH INVASION 2011-12-01T00:00:00-05:00 2011-12-14T15:05:24-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/13 News Release, December 6, 2011 Kyle Conrad Memorial Trophy Finds a Home at Jensen Beach High Jensen Beach, FL – (December 1, 2011) — The Kyle Conrad Memorial Trophy has a permanent home in the trophy case at Jensen Beach High School. Kyle was a 2007 graduate and star soccer player at Jensen Beach High School and a senior at Lynn University before his tragic death almost one year ago. This past January, Kyle’s family and friends turned to the aid of the Martin County Artificial Reef Fund Committee (MCAC Reef Fund) to see if they could create an artificial reef in Kyle’s memory. Things happened quickly and by the middle of the month an old tug was found ready to be deployed. After family and friends had the opportunity to sign their names and well wishes on its hull, The Kyle Conrad Memorial Reef was deployed.   In July, at the 5th Annual Reef Builder’s Tournament, the committee presented the Kyle Conrad Memorial Trophy to the winning boat. Captain Pat Price on the Day Maker is the first recipient of this perpetual award. "The Kyle Conrad Reef is a living memorial to the Conrad Family, their friends and our artificial reef team,” says Dave Powell, Vice President of MCAC Reef Fund. "The Conrad Family is an extraordinary group of people with the determination to insure that their personal tragedy has positive results. From the very first monitor dive on the new Kyle Conrad Reef, we are already seeing fish begin to populate it. I’m sure this will be a wonderful reef to fish and we look forward to monitoring this reef for many years to come.”   For more information on the Martin County Artificial Reef Fund Committee, please contact John Burke, 772-708-8881, email;info@mcacreefs.org or visit our web site www.mcacreefs.org. The MCAC Reef Fund is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) established to enhance the artificial reef program of Martin County, Florida. Contact: April Price, Phone: 772-285-1646, E-mail: apriceassoc@aol.com      

2011-10-24T00:00:00-04:00 2011-10-24T13:01:04-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/9 2011-07-18T00:00:00-04:00 2011-12-29T14:50:53-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/7 2011-07-18T00:00:00-04:00 2011-11-02T10:23:36-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/8 2011-07-11T00:00:00-04:00 2011-12-29T15:00:42-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/5 2011-07-07T00:00:00-04:00 2011-12-29T14:54:37-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/4 2011-01-17T00:00:00-05:00 2011-11-17T10:14:16-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/11 Kyle Conrad Reef sent to King Neptune's realm By Ed Killer Originally published 10:58 a.m., January 17, 2011 Updated 07:28 p.m., January 17, 2011 Mary Ann Conrad said her son Kyle always wanted a bigger boat. Although she guessed a 68-foot steel tugboat wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Late Monday afternoon, following a day of challenges brought about by poor weather conditions, the Kyle Conrad Memorial Artificial Reef became a reality. According to reef building consultant and commercial diver Kerry Dillon, the 68-foot steel tugboat christened Sunday with Conrad's name, sank in about 165 feet of water about nine mile northeast of St. Lucie Inlet at 4:50 p.m. Unfortunately, more than a dozen of Conrad's family members and friends were unable to see the event take place when severe weather ahead of a fast-moving cold front chased them back to the safety of land at about 1:30 p.m.. "Sea conditions deteriorated quickly," said John Burke, founder of the not-for-profit MCAC Reef Fund that coordinated the reef's creation. "We had some 6-8-footers out there, and it was all a close chop driven by high winds. We had to return for everyone's safety." Dillon and the crew of the tugboat Dawn Star remained on the scene battling the waves, wind and eventually darkness to attempt to get the reef into its proper position for deployment to the sea floor. The project came to fruition following a tragic mishap in December that cost the life of Kyle Conrad, 21, a standout soccer player with Jensen Beach High School and Lynn University. Conrad, a college senior, was due to graduate this spring semester and had received invitations to workout for major league soccer clubs. Despite his skill and love for his sport, dad Sherman Conrad said soccer was third on Kyle's list of priorities. "Kyle was recognized for his soccer, but to him it was family first, then his love for the water followed by soccer," said Sherman Conrad. "Boating, diving, fishing, he loved anything that took place on or in the water." Sunday, about 80 members of the Conrad, Mang, Fitzpatrick and Andrews families of Jensen Beach and friends gathered at Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce for a brief and emotional ceremony to re-name the tugboat that was sunk today in honor of Conrad's memory. The tug, formerly known as Tuff-E-Nuff, but constructed in 1895 as the Thomas Cunningham Sr., had the name "Kyle Conrad Reef" spray painted on its smokestack and bow by the family. Also, a steel sign that read "Kyle Conrad Reef" was bolted to the top of the tug's wheel house. Family friend Dr. Chris Wigley, a Jensen Beach dentist, led a ceremony to christen the vessel with its new name since it is considered bad luck to rename a vessel. The ceremony was complete with offerings to King Neptune and the pouring of champagne across its decks. "We wanted to make sure we did this in the proper way so that the reef would benefit those who fish or dive there," Wigley said. The crew aboard the towing tug Dawn Star of Jacksonville led by Capt. Tim Lawton moved the vessel to Fort Pierce last week after it was purchased for $40,000 by funds provided by a campaign led by Wigley and a $20,000 contribution from the Martin County Commission through its Artificial Reef Program. The not-for-profit MCAC Reef Fund worked with the Jacksonville-based reef building organization Think It Sink It Reef It who originally found the tug abandoned and partially sunk in a Georgia waterway, raised it, cleaned it and prepared it for artificial reef use after hundreds of donated man hours.   The Conrad family was surprised with the speed of which the entire memorial project came together. "Kyle would have been embarassed by all this attention," his mother said. "But he would love that he is helping to do something positive for so many others." The reef will be placed in 175 feet of water about nine miles northeast of St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County's Sirotkin permitted reef construction area. It will soon be inhabitated by corals, crustaceans and fishes and will provide a place where anglers can catch many species of offshore fish. In the coming days, Dillon will return to the site to verify the tug's position, location and how it landed. The reef's GPS coordinates will then be made public on county, state and reef building websites. For more visit these websites: www.mcacreeffund.org www.martinreefs.com www.tisiri.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuff-E-Nuff_(tugboat) © 2011 Scripps Newspaper Group — Online   2011-01-15T00:00:00-05:00 2011-11-17T10:16:14-05:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/12 Kyle Conrad Reef may be shipped to sea as early as Monday Posted: 01/15/2011 By Ed Killer, TCPalm FORT PIERCE — By sunset Monday, the Atlantic Ocean may have one more place for fish, coral and crustaceans to call home. Fish habitat creators with the MCAC Reef Fund hope to be able to tow the 70-foot steel tugboat Tuff-E-Nuff out to the Sirotkin Reef permit area managed by Martin County's Coastal Engineering department. The area is about two miles square and is situated in 150 to 180 feet of water about nine miles east-northeast of the St. Lucie Inlet. Before heading to its final resting place on the sea floor, the tugboat will be rechristened and will bear a steel sign with its new name, Kyle Conrad Reef. The reef project was a wish by the parents and family of Kyle Conrad, 21, a standout soccer player at Jensen Beach High School and Lynn University who lost his life in tragic mishap in early December. Conrad was passionate about watersports and spent much of his time fishing, diving and spearfishing the natural and artificial reefs in Treasure Coast waters. "It appears as if we will have a good weather window Monday," said John Burke, founder of the MCAC Reef Fund who has worked with Conrad family friend and Jensen Beach dentist Dr. Chris Wigley on raising more than $20,000 s to help pay for the project. Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy Fitzpatrick was able to obtain permits from the Army Corps of Engineers quickly to ensure the reef could be created in what has been a short time frame for an artificial reef project. More money is needed to help pay for the towing of the tugboat from St. Mary's, Ga. where the organization Think It Sink It Reef It worked to salvage the vessel from waters where it was partially sunk. TISIRI cleaned the tug and was able to have its unique steam engine salvaged, restored and placed in a museum in Virginia. The tugboat was finally towed into Harbortown Marina on Taylor Creek in Fort Pierce thanks to an offer from marina general manager Bill Blazek, said Wigley. While docked there, the public is invited to visit the marina to see what may become the Treasure Coast's newest artificial reef structure, said Harbortown dockmaster Capt. Dan Kolodny. Members of the Conrad and Mang family visited the tugboat Thursday after it arrived in Fort Pierce, said Wigley. "While they were looking over the tugboat one of them noticed a young dolphin was swimming and playing in Taylor Creek," Wigley said. "The dolphin swam around the boat for about 10 minutes before leaving the waterway. We just had to believe it was Kyle." The tug will likely be towed to sea via the Fort Pierce Inlet, which is the closest outlet to sea from Harbortown. The sinking of vessels can be very unpredictable and can be strongly influenced by current, tide and wind. Commercial diver and reef building consultant Kerry Dillon will be on site Monday to ensure the tug sinks in its designated spot on the sea floor, will land upright and will not drift atop other reef structures in the same permitted zone. Last February, MCAC Reef builders sunk the Ted Glasrud Reef there, also a tugboat. In 2003, the Wickstrom Reef, a 180-foot long ship, was placed there. For more on county artificial reefs visit www.martinreefs.com. KYLE CONRAD REEF Specifications What is it: Tug boat named Tuff-E-Nuff Length: 70 feet Relief_ 20 feet Built: 1895 Construction: 2- inch thick steel, riveted Planned deployment: Monday The public can view the tug boat which is docked on the main fuel dock at Harbortown Marina, 1936 Harbortown Dr., Fort Pierce, dockmaster Capt. Dan Kolodny said. No boarding of the vessel is permitted. For more information, go to www.MCACReefFund.org. For photos and video of the tugboat visit www.tisiri.org/tuffenuff.

2010-07-19T00:00:00-04:00 2011-10-24T13:07:25-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/10 2010-07-04T00:00:00-04:00 2011-10-21T13:47:22-04:00 http://www.mcacreefs.org/news/detail/id/3