Draft California Artificial Reef Program Plan Available for Review and Comment by September 4, 2026

The DRAFT California Artificial Reef Program Plan July 2026 (CARP Plan) is now available for review and comment. Prepared in partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Ocean Protection Council (OPC), and California Sea Grant, and informed by California Native American tribes and stakeholders, this draft document is the culmination of a multi-year process to create a science-based programmatic guidance document. The CARP Plan provides regulators and developers with a best practices guide for future potential artificial reef development.

Tribal comment period is July 6 – September 4, 2026 (60-days)
Public comment period is July 20 – September 4, 2026 (45-days)

The purpose of this review period is to gather feedback on the draft plan before it is finalized. The input received will help inform revisions to the document and support the development of guidance for potential future artificial reef projects in California state marine waters.

To facilitate comment submission, CDFW has developed an online comment form.

While use of the form is strongly encouraged for convenience, it is not required. We welcome comments in whatever format is most accessible and appropriate for you. Comments not reported in the form can be sent to artificialreefs@wildlife.ca.gov.

Review the Draft Plan

Collaborative Artificial Reef Recreational Use Survey Launch

This past year, Coastal Conservation Association of California (CCA) leadership and Habitat Committee members have worked with CDFW scientists to develop a scientifically designed recreational use survey for artificial reefs. The study design included a co-production of knowledge approach. This approach prioritizes the information needs and research questions from all collaborators equally resulting in a scientifically robust design that will produce data that will be useful for both CCA and CDFW.

The survey seeks to understand both how people use existing artificial reefs as well as how users perceive the benefits of artificial reefs to fishing and other recreational uses. Ocean users 18 years or older are invited to participate and the survey is expected to take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The results will be used in analyses to better understand uses of and visits to artificial reefs in California.

The data collected in this study are completely anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected and the information respondents provide in this study cannot be connected back to them. Results from this study may be published or presented at research conferences, and the anonymous data may be shared with other scientific researchers. For questions regarding this survey, please contact artificialreefs@wildlife.ca.gov.

Take the Survey