Summary of Trips
Three trips were made to the Horn Island Barges (FH-1) and one to the Rigs to Reef site (FH-7). Video and observations were made on the Movible (Barge "A"), the Dumpster Barge (Barge"B"), the Rubble Barge (Barge "E"), Rubble #1, and the large Jumbo Barge at the Rigs to Reef site.
During the past month 59 fish were tagged and released. Twelve previously tagged fish were reported recaptured.
Rubble #1 FH-1
These remains of the old Hwy 613 Escatawpa Bridge were sunk on July 20, 1988. The major debris is a pile estimated at about 80-100 feet in diameter located in 64 feet of water at LORAN coordinates 12403.5, 47036.9-.8, 29571.9 and Latitude 30:03:23, Longitude 88:37:00. This places it 10.9 Nautical miles at 210 from Horn Island Pass or 14.0 Nautical miles at 142 from Dog Keys Pass. A survey was performed on this site on May 27, 1989 with the results detailed in the May, 1989 MGFB report.
A trip was made on June 16, 1990 in which video and observations were made with the water baited. The site is still performing very well with many small bait fish sighted. There seem to be better sized game fish and just a few less bait fish when compared with last year. It was interesting to see a previously tagged Black grouper of about 3-4 pounds feeding and posing for the camera. Several nice game size red snapper were seen mixed in with the many juvenile red snapper. Two nice game sized grouper were observed as well. The game fish sightings are summarized below in Table One.
Estimated Fish Sightings on Rubble #1
June 16, 1990
Fish Type Size/Weight Count
Red Snapper.......... <3 lbs...100-150
Red Snapper.......... 4-8 lbs... 15-20
Grouper.............. 3-4 lbs.... 1
Grouper.............. 7-9 lbs.... 1
Trigger Fish......... <1 lbs....15-20
Sheepshead........... 1-3 lbs.... 4
Spadefish............ <1 lbs....80-100
Table One
The Dumpster Barge (FH-1 Barge "B")
This 150' X 35' hopper barge was sunk June 2, 1985 loaded with concrete rubble, drums, old dumpsters, and a large oak tree stump. It rests upside down in 62 feet of water at LORAN Coordinates 12407.7, 47038.3-.2, 29577.5 and Latitude 30:03:54 Longitude 88:36:58. It has a bow heading of 330 with most of the contents spread out to the west of the stern area. The oak tree stump is under the western edge of the barge. A survey was made on March 12, 1989 with the results detailed in the MGFB March, 1989 report. The visibility on the bottom last year was much worse making it impossible to locate the tree stump and debris.
On June 24, 1990 a trip was made to take video and make observations on the Dumpster Barge. Last year it was reported that the bottom was caving in. Further deterioration was evident this year. This deterioration appears to be beneficial by providing more nooks and crannies rather than a flat surface. The disadvantage is that it betters the chances of fouling fishing and anchor lines. The bottom visibility was much better this year so the debris could be located west and south of the stern. The oak tree stump is still present under the western edge creating a gap under this edge of the barge.
Fish observations showed much fewer red snapper compared to the rubble sites and the Rubble Barge but several more mangrove snapper and grunts. The fish sightings are summarized below in Table Two.
Fish Sightings on the Dumpster Barge
June 24, 1990
Fish Type Size/Weight Count
Spade Fish........... <1 lbs....20-40
Trigger Fish......... <1 lbs....10-15
Red Snapper.......... <3 lbs....20-30
Red Snapper.......... 7-9 lbs.... 1
Grouper.............. 1-3 lbs.... 3
Sheepshead........... 1-3 lbs....10-15
Jack Cravelle........20-25lbs.... 1
Bluefish............. 1-2 lbs.... 3
Table Two
Buoy Problems
The Northeast Corner buoy of the FH-1 site was found to have moved 0.31 miles to the southwest. Its new coordinates are 12405.7, 47037.9, 29575.1. The actual corner of the site is at 12408.3, 47039.0. A dive was made to inspect the anchor and tackle which showed no problems. It is believed a large boat tied to the buoy in rough seas during the winter thus dragging it to its new location. This may be the same time the radar reflector was torn off.
The Rubble Barge (Barge "E")
This 120' X 30' deck barge was sunk during August of 1988 in the Northwest corner of the Horn Island Barge site (FH-1). Its location is at LORAN coordinates 12403.7, 47038.0, 29573.2 and Latitude 30:03:47 Longitude 88:36:97. Its bow points at about 65 and lays upright. A survey was made on March 3, 1989 with the results detailed in the MGFB February, 1989 report.
A trip was made on July 6, 1990 to take corner measurements, take video, and make observations. Corner measurements taken on the Rubble Barge showed less than two inches difference from those taken last year as shown below in Table Three.
Comparison of Corner Measurements
The Rubble Barge - Barge "E" FH-1
7-06-90 3-03-89 11-3-88
Star Bow 5'-9" 5'-9" 5'-11"
Port Bow 5'-5" 5'-7" 5'-10"
Star Stern 4'-8" 4'-9" 5'-7"
Port Stern 4'-8" 4'-7" 5'-1"
Table Three
Three fish nests were seen near the starboard stern area. An abundance of small red snapper was evident both above the surface as well as below. A fair size sea turtle was startled and captured on video as he approached the starboard stern area apparently seeking a resting area. Several smaller grouper were sighted as well. The fish sightings are summarized below in Table Four.
Fish Sightings on the Rubble Barge
July 6, 1990
Fish Type Size/Weight Count
Spade Fish........... <1 lbs...150-200
Trigger Fish......... <1 lbs....75-100
Red Snapper.......... <3 lbs...250-300
Red Snapper.......... 4-8 lbs....20-25
Mangrove Snapper..... 1-3 lbs....25-30
Grouper.............. 1-3 lbs.... 8-12
Sheepshead........... 1-3 lbs....10-15
Table Four
The Movible (Barge "A")
This massive 180' X 70' deck barge was the original piece of material placed on the FH-1 site during the Summer of 1984. It sits upright in about 64 feet of water with a bow heading of 225. It is located at LORAN coordinates 12405.8, 47037.2, 29574.5 and Latitude 30:03:27 Longitude 88:36:76. A survey was made on March 11, 1989 with the results detailed in the MGFB March, 1989 report.
A dive was made on July 6, 1990 for the purpose of obtaining video of the site and making observations. The visibility had degraded somewhat on this dive hampering efforts. The remnants of a previous buoy mooring was seen near the southeast corner. Several good size red snapper were seen but few small fish. This seems typical of the large flat bodied reefs. The fish sightings are summarized below in Table Five, but remember that the poor visibility undermines these figures somewhat.
Fish Sightings on the Movible-Barge "A"
July 6, 1990
Fish Type Size/Weight Count
Spade Fish........... <1 lbs....25-50
Trigger Fish......... <1 lbs....10-15
Red Snapper.......... 2-8 lbs....20-25
Mangrove Snapper..... 1-3 lbs.... 6-10
Grouper.............. 1-3 lbs.... 2
Sheepshead........... 1-3 lbs.... 4
Table Five
The Jumbo Barge
This extremely large multi-deck barge was placed in the Rigs to Reef site (FH-7) in 1986. It sits in about 130' of water with the bow facing slightly west of north. A complete survey has not yet been completed on this site but some measurements and a sketch were completed on December 28, 1989. These details are contained in the MGFB December 1989 report as well as the 1989 year end report. It is located at LORAN coordinates 12529.9, 46920.6, 29578.0, and Latitude 29:36:80 Longitude 88:24:64. This places it 36.2 miles at 171 from Horn Island Pass or 42.2 miles at 152 from Dog Keys Pass.
Strong current and poor visibility were experienced at the Rigs to Reef site rendering this trip somewhat fruitless. The current was unusually stronger toward the bottom than on top. The visibility was less than one foot on the wreck making it difficult to establish an oriented point of contact. Measurement efforts were therefore abandoned. For practical purposes, no fish sightings were made on the bottom except for a pair of spotfin butterfly fish. Visibility was fair in the midwater and several amberjack were videoed. Surprisingly the topside action showed the amberjack to hit dead cigar minnows which they usually would refuse. Several Kings were hitting as well. Both species were relatively small (10-15 lbs. each). Only a few snapper were caught.
Fish Tagging Update
Last month 59 new fish were tagged and released and twelve tagged Red Snapper were recaptured. Four recaptures each were reported by Joe Patrick and Mark Miller. One each from Jack Mangin, Vaughn R. Hamm, Kelly Cumbest, and Ralph Edwards. Jack Mangin reported he did not measure the fish and Ralph Edwards reported a length of 10 inches but the tagging information showed it measured 11.6" when it was tagged just three days earlier. Two tag's information are pending arrival from Texas. The others are listed below in Table Six. The "Rate/Mo." figure is the computed growth rate per month. All these Snapper were recaught on the same structure that they were tagged on with possibly one exception. Kelly Cumbest reported a position of 30 miles south of Pascagoula whereas it was released at the Metal Building in FH-1 (20 miles south of Pascagoula). Notice that there are several negative growth rates reported indicating a need for increased accuracy in taking measurements!
Tagged Fish Recaptures
(for past month of June)
Tag Number Date-1 Date-2 Size-1 Size-2 Growth Rate/Mo.
* 0014PRM 5/05/90 6/16/90 12.00" 13.30" 1.30" 0.93"
0069PRM 5/26/90 6/16/90 10.50" 10.00" -0.50" -0.71"
0076PRM 6/10/90 6/16/90 12.10" 12.00" -0.10" -0.50"
0094PRM 6/10/90 6/16/90 11.00" 11.00" 0.00" 0.00"
00302 6/27/90 6/30/90 11.60" 10.00" -1.60" -16.00"
* 00350 6/16/90 7/06/90 10.40" 11.20" 0.80" 1.20"
# 49262 11/05/89 6/10/90 11.50" 14.00" 2.50" 0.35"
# 49270 11/05/89 6/10/90 12.00" 14.00" 2.00" 0.28"
62937 4/15/90 6/16/90 12.00" 13.00" 1.00" 0.48"
62938 4/15/90 6/16/90 12.50" 14.00" 1.50" 0.73"
62942 3/25/90 6/16/90 11.50" 12.00" 0.50" 0.18"
Table Six
* Denotes both release and capture measurements made by same person and may indicate increased accuracy.
# These fish were tagged by Craig Gusa and recaptured by Mark Miller 217 days later. The long period of time lapse may indicate a more accurate growth rate of about 1/3 inch per month.