Mr. John Machol
Regulatory Branch CESWG-PE-RB
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers March 7, 2007
P. O. Box 1229
Galveston, Texas 77553-1229


Mr. Machol:

I’ve become aware of a project known as the Texas Great Barrier Reef (TGBRP) which is before the Corps for approval and for which you’ve posted a call for public comments.

I vigorously support approval of this project for the following reasons:

*The Texas coast close to shore is almost devoid of naturally occurring structure. While we’ve been fortunate to have a profusion of offshore oil and gas production platforms which have served as artificial reefs to provide habitat, breeding, forage and cover for recreational sport fish, many of these rigs are now being dismantled and removed as oil and gas in shallow offshore waters plays out. As any recreational fisherman can tell you, structure is where the sport fishing is best and in Texas that has for decades meant the oil and gas rigs. The TGBRP will help to replace structure and recreational fishing areas that are now being lost at an increasing rate.

*The TGBRP will provide a means to increase the number of sport fish off the Texas coast, from fish like snapper which will breed and seek refuse at the reefs when in juvenile state, to predator fish like king, ling, amberjack, barracuda, sea trout and Spanish mackerel, as well as natural reef/structure inhabitants such as angelfish and sheepshead.

*The TGBRP will be an important boost to the industries which are part of the recreational fishing business in Texas (hotels, motels, boat and motor sales and repair, charter fishing, marinas and bait camps) and to Texas coastal communities all along the coast. These industries and communities and literally thousands of Texas jobs depend for their survival to a substantial extent on the availability of recreational sport fishing and the tourism it brings.

*The TGBRP will be built in Texas waters relatively close to shore (7.5 to 8.5 miles offshore), thereby putting productive sport fishing areas within safe reach of Texas fishing families of modest means who can afford only smaller boats in the 16’ to 20’ size range. To date, most artificial reefs built offshore have been well beyond safe range of small boats, thus excluding the average Texas family from access to this fishery.

*By being in Texas waters, and thereby subject to both Texas recreational fishing limits and a very effective Texas Parks & Wildlife enforcement agency, the TGBRP will be largely protected for public recreational use and safe from the predation of the very poorly enforced commercial fishing industry which has been the bane of the king mackerel fishery in Florida, the swordfish fishery worldwide, the redfish fishery along the entire Gulf Coast, billfish of all kinds offshore and, now, the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.

*By creating additional habitat which will actually increase the number of sport fish available, the TGBRP serves to increase the size of the pie available to the public, rather than creating further debate over how to slice up an increasingly smaller pie.

In sum, the TGBRP should be approved by the Corps of Engineers on the basis of its positive environmental, economic and public benefits.


Respectfully,

Dan Bulla

Houston Texas
(Address deleted on website publication for privacy)