To install the original reef during the summer of 2011, workers deployed 8,000 tons of limestone. The reef began producing fish almost immediately.
This week’s phase-two expansion will use 7,000 acres of limestone to expand the reef by four acres.
David Cresson, executive director for CCA, said it won’t take fish very long to find it.
“We frequently hear from Grand Isle anglers who have had tremendous success fishing on the original Independence Island reef site,” he said. “If history is any indication, we would expect speckled trout and redfish to populate the site as early as spring 2016.”
Grand Isle Mayor David Carmadelle on Tuesday celebrated the addition of habitat in an area that’s lost so much of it due to coastal subsidence.
“Anytime we can build habitat in Louisiana and create new fishing spots for anglers and their families to enjoy, that’s a win-win situation,” he said.