The idea of naming a favorite fishing, diving, hunting, or hiking location where memories were made is nothing new. Names like “Breakdown Hole”, “The Pit”, or “Momma’s Spot” help outdoor enthusiasts reference a specific location where a memorable trip (good or bad) was made. Artificial reefs are no exception. Anglers have generated colloquial names to reference offshore Alabama reefs for decades. Now, anglers and divers can formally name an artificial reef after a loved one or a special memory through the Alabama Reef Sponsorship Program. The new name will be formally referenced in future publications of Alabama public reefs at https://www.outdooralabama.com/saltwater-fishing/artificial-reefs.
Details of the Program:
A donation value of at least 25% of the cost to construct the reef must be made to reserve the naming rights of eligible reefs (proposed name must be less than 16 characters in length including spaces). Reefs that have been named by prior arrangements, historically significant reefs, or reefs constructed with donated materials are not available to be named. Therefore, reefs constructed by the Red Snapper World Championship, most shipwrecks, reefed natural gas production rigs, army tanks, and reefs constructed by the Roads to Reefs Program where private entities contributed funding and deployment resources to execute the projects are not eligible to be named under this program. Once a reef has been named through the Reef Sponsorship Program the dedicated name will be associated with the reef site for the life of the reef. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources/Marine Resources Division (ADCNR/MRD) may enhance the reef or update the GPS coordinates of the reef, if needed, but the dedicated name will not change. Additionally, reef sites that have been named through this program may be removed from the Alabama Public Reef List if the reef has reached the end of its usable life (i.e. subsided, completely disassociated, degrades such that minimal structure exists, etc.). Authorization to name a reef does not imply ownership of the structure, biological community, or any other resources associated with the reef. Additionally, authorization to name the reef does not authorize alteration of the named reef.
Reefs will be eligible to name on a “first come, first serve” basis (based upon when donation monies are submitted) until all eligible reefs have been named through the Alabama Reef Sponsorship Program. Eligibility to reserve the naming rights of a reef is open to private individuals, companies, organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and municipalities provided they follow all requirements of the program.
Approval of proposed names is authorized by the ADCNR/MRD Director and all monies generated during this program will be expended in furtherance of the preservation, protection, propagation and development of saltwater fish, shrimp, oysters and other shellfish and crustaceans and the development of the seafoods industry and saltwater sports fishing as described in Alabama Code 1975 § 9-2-89. Seafoods Fund – Disbursement. The donation will be returned, and application will be denied if the proposed name of the reef is rejected due to offensive nature, vulgarity, or inappropriate content.
