Bayshore Blvd. Reef Ball project from Tampa Bay Watch June 2003. 200 Reef Balls deployed.
Volunteers hoist 100-pound reef balls onto a special sling developed by Coastal Conservation Association member Mike Flynn. CCA, Tampa BayWatch, the city of Tampa and Bayshore Beautiful Homeowners Association all helped with this March 2003 project. More than 100 volunteers installed 127 reef balls along the shallow shore of Bayshore Boulevard - Tampa’s signature scenic drive. We hope the reef balls will enhance fisheries habitat in this part of Tampa Bay and protect a small intertidal wetland from being gnawed away by waves.
The volunteers pass the heavy reef balls down the line and out to waters about 2 feet deep at low tide, where they are deployed in rows.
The volunteers showed great “team spirit,” working together in assembly-line fashion for more than 3 hours to deploy the 127 reef balls.
Once the reef balls were deployed, volunteers planted marsh grass along the remnant stretch of shoreline struggling to survive. The grass will help to stabilize the shoreline and provide habitat for crabs, wading birds and other creatures.
