By JOHN HOWELL

Fish and other marine creatures could have a home near, or at the site, where colonists burned the British schooner Gaspee 250 years ago as of this June 9.

News that the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) has identified three possible locations for artificial reefs in Warwick waters came as a surprise to the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Association and the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project that recently gained funding from a group of individuals and organizations to conduct the first of two phases in a hunt for the Gaspee. The hunt for the Gaspee is slated to start in early July and last about 10 days. If evidence of the boat is found, a second and more extensive search of the area would be conducted.

Based on a Power Pint presentation, Roger Hudson -- a member of the group -- obtained one of the proposed reef locations is in the area RIMAP plans to search.

Dr. Kathy Abbass, director of RIMAP, said Tuesday a portion of Artificial Reef Site B (AR-B) is within the area of the planned search for the Gaspee. As outlined in the NBC Power Point, the proposed permitted area is 575 feet from the public access to Gaspee Point. The area is outlined as a square with collection of five Pallet Ball reef balls in each of the four corners. The balls, each weighing 1,300 pounds, are four feet in diameter and are two feet and nine inches high.  The reef would cover about a third of an acre.

The other potential sites for reefs are offshore from the break water accessible from Salter Grove Park off Narragansett Parkway, which would be similar in size to the Gaspee reef and an area southeast of where Greene Island was. (What remains of Greene Island off Occupasstuxet Cove is now only visible at low tide.) This site defined as Bullock Reach Buoy covers more than two acres.

While NBC did not return a call in time for this story, Captain Dave Monti who writes the No Fluke fishing column for the Beacon and is a member of the Rhode Island Salt Water Anglers Association shared an email he received from Conor McManus, DEM chief of Marine Fisheries.

Monti is excited about the prospect of additional artificial reefs in the Providence River. (Although commonly referred to Narragansett Bay, the stretch of water north from Conimicut Point is the Providence River.)

Monti said an artificial reef installed at Sabin Point off East Providence has proven to be a habitat for mussels and an attraction for fish. He pointed out that over the last several years the river has seen strong spring runs of striped bass and that fluke and black bass are being caught north of Conimicut point. He said tautog were being caught this week off India Point Park in Providence.

In the email addressed to the anglers, McManus writes, “The Narragansett Bay Commission is looking to install Reef Balls (artificial reefs) in the Providence River in an effort to enhance fish habitat and recreational fishing opportunities, similar to what TNC (The Nature Conservancy) and DEM did at Sabin Point. TNC and DEM have provided them our previous application for when we did Sabin Point as well as technical advice on how to best monitor the sites to see how fish biomass and abundance change with the installation of the reef. We are not involved with the actual work (permitting process, monitoring, or funding). I do not think the project application has been submitted to CRMC yet, so I think there is still time to comment on or revise the proposed plan. If RISAA wishes to submit comments to NBC ahead of the application process, let us know and we can pass along the right point of contact at NBC.”

In an email, Abbass said she was to meet with an NBC engineer to review the reef proposal. She observed NBC would have to conduct a survey of the area and might they be a partner in the search for the Gaspee.

The Warwick Planning Department is aware of the reef proposal but has not taken a position on the proposal as of this point.