CCA Louisiana and Conservation Partners to Build "Matherne's Reef" in St. John Parish portion of Lake Pontchartrain

Media Event Rescheduled to Wednesday at 10AM

Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of Louisiana, Shell Oil, Building Conservation Trust (CCA's National Habitat Program) and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), will begin construction on a new artificial reef, located in the St. John Parish portion of Lake Pontchartrain on October 16.

The reef will be named "Vincent Matherne Reef" in honor of the late Vincent Matherne, a founding member of CCA's River Parishes Chapter and a life-long outdoorsman and conservation leader. The project was conceived by the River Parishes CCA Chapter in 2015, and chapter volunteers have worked since then with parish and state officials to see their reef proposal come to fruition.

The new reef will be located in the southwestern-most portion of Lake Pontchartrain close to where I-10 and I-55 merge. It will be constructed of approximately 4,000 tons of limestone in the 10-acre reef site. Its proximity to Frenier Landing will make it accessible to anglers using a variety of vessels.

This will be the sixth reef of its kind built by CCA in Lake Pontchartrain in recent years. The first two Lake Pontchartrain reefs, the South Shore Reef and the Kim and Dudley Vandenborre reefs, were constructed using recycled materials from the I-10 Twin Spans damaged in Hurricane Katrina. Those were built in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The St. Tammany Fishing Pier Reef, built in the spring of 2013, was the third by CCA and LDWF using the same recycled materials. The Laketown Reef was constructed in 2014 adjacent to the Williams Boulevard Fishing Pier, using 2,000 tons of crushed limestone. The West End Reef was built in 2016 using a combination of limestone and crushed concrete.

All projects have proven to provide exceptional fish habitat, and are popular amongst recreational anglers.

Funding for the project will be provided through CCA's Building Conservation Trust, Shell, LDWF's Artificial Reef Development Fund, as well as in-kind donations and services from Pontchartrain Materials. Continued support of CCA's habitat program is provided by the Paul Candies Family.

A dedication ceremony and media site visit is rescheduled for Wednesday, October 18 at 10AM at Frenier Landing.


About CCA Louisiana
In its 34th year, CCA Louisiana is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the state. With more than 30,000 members and volunteers in 29 local chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. Visit www.CCALouisiana.com for more information.

Contact: David Cresson
(225) 952-9200
www.CCALouisiana.com