View source for Earth:Shark River Reef

{{short description|Artificial reef off New Jersey}}
{{coord|40.07330|N|73.41080|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
'''Shark River Reef''' is an artificial reef located in the [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic Ocean]], 15.6 miles southeast of Manasquan Inlet, off of the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey.<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.nj gov/dep/newsrel/2006/06_0051.htm NJDEP-News Release 06/51 - DEP Issues Navigational Advisory Around Shark River Reef<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The site contains almost 4 million cubic yards of dredge rock material. Although 96% of the total reef material is rock, the site also contains numerous subway cars.<ref>http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/reefs/shark_river.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

It is the deepest of all New Jersey's artificial reefs, having an average bottom depth of approximately 125'.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://njscuba.net/reefs/chart_nj03_shark_river.html Scuba Diving - New Jersey & Long Island New York - dive Wreck Valley - Artificial Reefs - Shark River<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The site is located near Stolt Dagali wreck (rammed and sunk in 1964 by the [[Engineering:SS Shalom|SS Shalom]]).<ref name=autogenerated1 />

The site contains at least nine vessels, including five tankers.

The Shark River Reef was established as part of the New Jersey's Artificial Reef Program. It is administered by the State of New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

==Boundaries==
Coordinates are as follows:<ref>[http://www.njforestandsea.com/coastal/shark-river-reef-64/shark-river-reef-geography-112/ NJF&S | COASTAL DESTINATIONS: Shark River Reef Geography<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! North
! West
|-
|Northeast corner
|40 07.330
|73 41.08
|-
|Northwest corner
|40 07.330W
|73 41.80
|-
|Center
|40 06.777
|73 57.86
|-
|Southeast corner
|40 06.200
|73 41.08
|-
|Southwest corner
|40 06.200
|73 41.80
|}

==Incidents==
On two occasions, rocks intended for the Shark River Reef were dumped before reaching the site, violating the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), known as the Ocean Dumping Act.

The first incident occurred in December 2003 in rough seas. 3,600 cubic yards of rock shifted position within the barge, causing it to flip over and dump its cargo.

The second incident, also in December, resulted in the deliberate dumping of 3,600 cubic yards of dredged rock material about half of a mile north of the reef. Due to a punctured hull, the barge carrying the rock began to lean rapidly. To avoid possible sinking or flipping of the barge, the captain dumped the rock.<ref>[http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/b1ab9f485b098972852562e7004dc686/49f11b23842a2fdc852570d100574d32!OpenDocument 01/25/2005: EPA Reaches Agreement With Dredging Company to Settle Violations of Ocean Dumping Act<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Biology:Marine biology}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2006/06_0051.htm Reference for coordinates]

==External links==
*[http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/reefs/shark_river.pdf Exact coordinates for submerged objects]
*[http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/redbird-scrap.html Itemized list and images of vehicles sunk at Shark River Reef]
*[http://njscuba.net/reefs/chart_nj03_shark_river.html Images, list of ships at site, map of features]

{{aquatic ecosystem topics|expanded=none}}
{{coastal geography}}

[[Category:Ecosystems]]

{{Sourceattribution|Shark River Reef}}