Saltwater
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New York Artificial Reefs
16 DEC reef sites off Long Island, with location, size, depth and materials.
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Reef sites
New York artificial reefs managed by DEC
DEC manages 16 artificial reef sites off Long Island and in its bays, built from retired vessels, barges, bridge steel, railcars and concrete. Each site below gives DEC’s location, size, depth and materials; the coordinates are the reef center.
| Reef | Location | Size | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockaway Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 1.6 nautical miles south of Rockaway Beach | 635 acres (2639 yards X 1173 yards) | 32 to 40 feet |
| Atlantic Beach Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 3.0 nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach | 413 acres (2000 yards by 1000 yards) | 55 to 64 feet |
| McAllister Grounds | Atlantic Ocean, 2.8 nautical miles south of Long Beach | 425 acres (2036 yards X 1020 yards) | 48 to 53 feet |
| Hempstead Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 3.3 nautical miles south of Jones Beach State Park | 850 acres (3085 yards X 1335 yards) | 50 to 72 feet |
| Moriches Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 2.4 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet | 850 acres (2025 yards by 2025 yards) | 70 to 80 feet |
| Shinnecock Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 2.0 Nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet | 850 acres (2025 by 2025 yards) | 76 to 84 feet |
| Fire Island Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 2.0 nautical miles south of the Fire Island Lighthouse | 850 acres (3085 yards by 1335 yards) | 62 to 73 feet |
| Kismet Reef | Great South Bay, 120 yards north of the South Beach, between Kismet and the National Seashore dock | 10 acres; (1000 yards by 50 yards) | 16 to 25 feet |
| Matinecock Reef | Long Island Sound, 0.5 nautical miles north of Peacock Point | 41 acres (800 yards X 250 yards) | 30 to 40 feet |
| Yellowbar Reef | Great South Bay, 900 yards east of the Robert Moses Fixed Bridge | 7 acres (400 yards by 85 yards) | 25 to 40 feet |
| Smithtown Reef | Long Island Sound, 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Stony Brook Harbor entrance | 31 acres (511 yards by 299 yards) | 30 to 40 feet |
| Twelve Mile Reef | Atlantic Ocean 13.0 nautical miles from Moriches and Shinnecock Inlets | 850 acres (2,025 yards by 2,025 yards) | 123 to 143 feet |
| Huntington/Oyster Bay Reef | Long Island Sound, 1.16 nautical miles northeast of Lloyd Point. | 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards) | 47 to 53 feet |
| Mattituck Reef | Long Island Sound, 2.37 nautical miles northwest of Mattituck Inlet. | 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards) | 72 to 100 feet |
| Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai Reef | Long Island Sound, 1.79 nautical miles northeast of Port Jefferson Inlet. | 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards) | 88 to 94 feet |
| Sixteen Fathom Reef | Atlantic Ocean, 13 nautical miles southwest of Fire Island Inlet. | 850 acres (2025 yards x 2025 yards) | 85 to 103 feet |
DEC artificial reef program site descriptions, retrieved October 24, 2026.
Materials
What the New York reefs are built from
- Rockaway Reef1 barge, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, 60 steel buoys, rock, concrete buoy sinkers, slabs, pipes, culvert, decking, and rubble.
- Atlantic Beach Reef2 vessels, 10 barges, 8 pontoons, 4 pieces of a 100' scow, surplus armored vehicles, 404 auto bodies, 10 Good Humor trucks, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, steel crane and boom, 27 steel buoys, 1 steel turbine rotor, steel turbine shells, steel pipe, rock, concrete and steel bridge sections, concrete
- McAllister Grounds4 vessels, 4 barges, 7 pieces of a 100' scow, 2 steel miter gates, 3 steel dam gates, 1 steel power plant turbine, rock, concrete barriers, concrete bridge rubble, and concrete buoy sinkers.
- Hempstead Reef14 vessels, 2 barges, 3 steel power plant turbines, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, surplus armored vehicles, 1 drydock, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, City Island Bridge materials, Mill Basin Bridge materials, steel bridge trusses, concrete forms, and concrete rubble.
- Moriches Reef12 vessels, 5 barges, surplus armored vehicles, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, 4 steel centerbeam railcars, steel floorbeams, and concrete pipes.
- Shinnecock Reef8 vessels, 5 barges, surplus armored vehicles, 7 steel centerbeam railcars, 1 drydock, rock, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, a steel and concrete tower, steel and concrete bridge rubble, steel pipes, steel beams, and steel bridge trusses.
- Fire Island Reef5 vessels, 13 barges, 2 boat hulls, 6 pontoons, surplus armored vehicles, 2 drydocks, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, 2 steel miter gates, 1 steel tainter gate, steel bridge girders, steel lift bridge sections, steel pipe, steel lifting towers, rock, concrete cesspool ring
- Kismet Reef2 barges, concrete barriers, concrete blocks, concrete slabs, culvert, and rubble.
- Matinecock Reef1 barge and 7 pontoons.
- Yellowbar Reef3 vessels, 1 barge, 4 pontoons, 100 concrete Reef Ball units, concrete forms, and concrete pipes.
- Smithtown Reef2 vessels, 6 barges, steel pipes, and concrete-filled steel cylinders.
- Twelve Mile Reef2 vessels, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, rock, and ECOncrete.
- Huntington/Oyster Bay ReefConcrete buoy sinkers.
- Mattituck Reef1 vessel and concrete buoy sinkers.
- Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai Reef1 barge and concrete buoy sinkers.
- Sixteen Fathom ReefUndeveloped
By county
New York reefs by nearest county
Photographs
The water near Artificial reefs through a lens
Photo: Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Antepenultimate, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: bobistraveling, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Answers
New York artificial reef questions
How many artificial reefs does New York have?
16 DEC reef sites.
Where are the New York artificial reefs?
In the Atlantic off the South Shore, in Long Island Sound and in the Peconic and Gardiners bays.
What are the reefs made of?
Retired vessels and barges, Tappan Zee Bridge steel, railcars, armored vehicles and concrete, as each site lists.
Off which county do most New York reefs lie?
Suffolk County, with 8.
How deep are the reefs?
From 32 to 40 feet to 85 to 103 feet, by DEC site description.
What fish live on the reefs?
Structure species such as black sea bass, porgy and blackfish, under the marine limits.
Do I need a license to fish a reef?
Anglers 16 and older who fish for saltwater species, or for migratory fish of the sea, enroll in the free DEC Recreational Marine Fishing Registry instead of buying a license; freshwater fishing takes the DEC license ($25.00 resident, $50.00 nonresident).
Can I anchor on a reef?
DEC prints any restriction on the reef pages; where none is printed, normal boating rules apply.