Sunday, 17 May 2020, Walter Marine placed two new large reefs in the Crooked Island and Sherman Sites. This project was planned and executed by the City of Mexico Beach and MBARA with $92,309.50 from State of Florida, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission using Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill funds from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Phase III Early Restoration Plan, Florida Artificial Reef Creation and Restoration plan. MB-255 was constructed in the Crooked Island Site using two 15' Super Reefs, one 15' Super Reef with an Ecosystem nested inside, and nine 8' Florida Limestone Artificial Reefs. MB-256 was constructed using one 15' Super Reef, two 15' Super Reefs with an Ecosystems nested inside, and eight 8' Florida Limestone Artificial Reefs.
117 Boats entered the tournament. 103 boats in the Recreational Division plus 14 boats in te Professional Division. Final standings:
During the month of December, FWC conducted the first phase of side-scan sonar surveys off Mexico Beach to assess impacts to artificial reefs. Afterwards, they conducted several random exploratory dives to get visual confirmation on sonar recordings. To view the preliminary results of this ongoing project, visit Initial Hurricane Michael Impact Report for details and preliminary findings guiding further assements in the near future to better understand what happend. This data will be used to help MBARA plan future reef construction locations and structure designs to better withstand effects of strong storms.