By Alan Pollock for the Cape Cod Chronicle
HARWICH PORT — A couple of miles off Harwich Port, school is in session at Harwich High.
On Nov. 3, divers inspecting the new artificial reef made from debris from the demolished Harwich High School were pleased to find the site crowded with schools of tautog, black sea bass and cunner.
“It was gratifying,” said Mark Rousseau, the artificial reef coordinator for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Rousseau and colleague Vin Malkoski donned scuba gear and descended to the site.
“The objective of that dive that day was to collect some photos and videos to monitor the progress of the reef itself,” he said. “There were a lot of fish.”
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In a video posted online, the divers saw schools of various species, creating a scene that looked a bit like a tropical aquarium, albeit in duller hues. The display was impressive, but Rousseau said it wasn’t surprising, 225 days after the reef was installed.
“We expected it. Species like black sea bass are prone to utilizing structure wherever they are,” Rousseau said. The bottom of Nantucket Sound is largely featureless, he noted. The reef was constructed using miscast catch basins and remains from the former high school foundation. The $146,000 for the project came from DMF’s recreational saltwater fish permit fees.
Installed in a square zone about 650 feet across, the reef is actually a series of distinct piles of debris.
