The NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public informational meeting on establishing a new estuarine artificial reef in Albemarle Sound. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, in Room 110 at the College of the Albemarle, 205 US-64, Manteo, N.C. 27954.
The proposed site is approximately 125 acres in size and located in Albemarle Sound, approximately 3.5 miles northeast of the mouth of Alligator River (35° 59.334’ N, 75° 56.137’ W, see map). Materials for this planned project are debris from the Alligator River Bridge.
An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. In North Carolina, they serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.
The Division maintains 72 artificial reefs, 29 in the estuaries and 43 in the ocean, at a distance of between one-half mile to 38 miles from shore.
For more information about this project or other artificial reefs in North Carolina, see the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program webpages or contact Jordan Byrum at 252-515-5481.
AT-A-GLANCE
WHO: | NCDEQ Division of Marine Fisheries |
WHAT: | Informational Meeting about new artificial reef site in Albemarle Sound |
WHEN: | Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026 at 6 p.m. |
WHERE: | College of the Albemarle |