On Wednesday, April 24, 2019, part of Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s iconic house boat, home to Harry Connick Jr’s character in the Dolphin Tale movies, was transformed into a marine life habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.

The barge of the movie prop was professionally placed 10 miles off Clearwater Beach as a contribution to Rube Allyn Reef in Pinellas County’s artificial reef system. According to Pinellas County’s Artificial Reef Guide, “an artificial reef is a man-made, underwater structure built to promote marine life.” The barge of the boat prop was constructed from environmentally-safe construction, and therefore was identified as an ideal structure to support an artificial reef.

Since the initial placement, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Dive Team has revisited the artificial reef to monitor and document its progress. Algae and barnacles have attached to the artificial reef material as of May 10, attracting an array of fish species including barracuda, hogfish, greater amberjacks, and more. Despite the newness of the reef, the barge has already become a feeding ground for sea creatures and a valuable underwater sanctuary for marine life.

Read more: https://www.seewinter.com/house-boat-...

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© 2019 Clearwater Marine Aquarium

We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

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