Coastal Conservation Association’s (CCA) REEF Louisiana Program will begin construction on a nearshore reef named East Cameron Block 82 Reef, along with conservation partners Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), Romeo Papa Boats and E & L Construction Group.

To mark the beginning of construction, CCA and its partners will hold a press conference on Wednesday, June 26 at 2 p.m. at Lighthouse Bend Marina in Cameron. Following the presser, media may take a brief 30-minute boat ride to view the reef installation.

Representatives from CCA Louisiana, Cheniere Foundation, LDWF, Romeo Papa Boats and E & L Construction Group will be present and available for interviews. Notable attendees from the Cheniere Foundation include Amy Miller, Manager, Local Government and Community Affairs; Stephanie Huck, Representative, Local Government and Community Affairs; and Dan Plumley, Director, Marine Operations. Rad Trascher, Executive VP of Development, CCA Louisiana and Robert Perez, President, Romeo Papa Boats will also be on hand.

East Cameron 82 Reef Installation - Schedule of Events

·2 – 2:30 p.m.

o Press Conference Lighthouse Bend Marina (190 Davis Road, Cameron)

·2:30 – 4 p.m.

o Reef Installation. Boats will be provided to take partners and media guests to the reef site to view installation.

REEF Louisiana will construct the reef out of 45 precast concrete reef modules using a modular grid design. The concrete structures will be deployed in 60 feet of water and spread out in columns and rows to optimize bottom contours and water conditions. The design will also create overlapping “feeding halos” where a variety of fish species may thrive. In these depths, it is likely that a diverse range of fish could call these reefs home, including species like red snapper, cobia and more. This reef will be the 51st unique artificial reef CCA Louisiana has built, and the 2nd artificial reef built this year.

Once construction is complete, CCA will publicize GPS Coordinates. For more information about this project or CCA’s REEF Louisiana Program, contact CCA’s Rad Trascher at 225-952-9200.