MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – New video has been released of the deliberate sinking of a freighter to create an artificial reef off Florida’s East Coast.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sank the Borocho, a 227-foot derelict vessel, Nov. 18 in Martin County, nine miles off the St. Lucie Inlet.
The vessel had been in the Miami River for a decade after its previous owner allowed it to fall into disrepair, the FWC said.
The FWC hired a removal contractor, Resolve Marine Group, Inc., to clean up and tow the ship where it was to be sunk. After cutting holes in the vessel’s sides to allow it to flood, the ship slipped under the surface in about an hour.
It now sits in about 180 feet of water.
Creating the artificial reef was deemed the cheapest disposal option as well as providing a new long-term fish habitat, the FWC said in a news release.
This area is popular with recreational anglers targeting reef fish species such as mackerel, amberjack and snapper.
The FWC’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program, funded by the Florida Legislature, helps state, county and local government agencies with the costs related to removing derelict vessels.
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