Raising Cane’s owner and founder Todd Graves, LDWF, CCA and others partner to install artificial reef in Grand Isle
Artificial reef construction in Louisiana took a giant step forward on Aug. 14. Raising Cane’s owner and founder, Todd Graves, in partnership with CCA Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), Natrx, Danos and others, gathered in Grand Isle to dedicate and kick off construction of the newest reef, “Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid” reef. Graves, a Louisiana native and resident, was on hand to present a ceremonial $100,000 check from Raising Cane’s to CCA for funding towards the new reef.
Graves addressed the crowd noting that building this reef “…will help restore this great marine ecosystem right here in Grand Isle.”
As exciting as this major donation is, Graves had a surprise announcement. Summoning CCA Louisiana’s CEO David Cresson and Executive Vice President of Development Rad Trascher to join him at the podium, Graves stunned the crowd with this news: “Y’all come here. Real quick, real quick guys. So look, this process working with CCA, working with David, Rad, and everybody in the organization has been top-notch. I mean it has been a fantastic process and I feel great about it and thought you know what? Why do one? Let’s go ahead and do five,” he said.
Following a huge round of applause, Graves cemented (pun intended) Raising Cane’s commitment to donate a total of $500,000 to build five new reefs, including Hotel Sid. Graves is a Louisianian, he gets us. He gets our unique culture. He’s one of us. This massive donation by Raising Cane’s goes a long way in helping CCA in partnership with LDWF and others to provide much-needed habitat restoration and enhancement in Louisiana’s coastal and offshore waters.
Future generations
Graves reminded the crowd of how vital recreational fishing is to local economies and how vital it is to restore and maintain the habitat.
“Fish need habitat to survive and these local businesses need fishermen to survive,” Graves said. “We must protect and restore these habitats for future generations.”
Citing the proximity of the Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid reef to Grand Isle, Graves noted that enhancing local habitat brings fishermen as well as tourists that in turn support local businesses like marinas, guides, gas stations, bait shops, restaurants, accommodations and much more.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this process,” he said.
CCA Louisiana, in conjunction with LDWF, has built over 50 artificial reefs in the state over the last 20 years. The Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid reef makes number 52. Following the presentation, partners and guests boarded several boats and made their way to the construction site. A barge loaded with modules was setting them on the water bottom of Barataria Bay surrounding the old Hotel Sid site.
“We started with Hotel Sid because I’ve fished Grand Isle all my life and Hotel Sid many times,” Graves said. “It means a lot to me and the people of Grand Isle.”
Since the site’s name is so ingrained in local fishermen, it was decided to keep is as part of the newly dubbed “Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid” reef.
Cajun Coral
The company that developed the unique modules, Natrx, calls them ExoForms and has them in place in many parts of the country, be it for reefs or shoreline protection. However, with sizes and shapes designed particularly suited for Louisiana habitats, they have been nicknamed “Cajun Coral.”
The flexible concrete modules are 3-D printed and weigh about 400 pounds each. The height of the modules can be varied to fit particular location depths and maintain sufficient clearance so as not to impact vessels traversing above the reef sites.
Known by many as Hotel Sid, this popular fishing location was decommissioned last year and the oil platform was removed. However, like many such structures, a shell pad remains on the bottom and still serves as habitat and an attraction for fish and other species.
“The Hotel Sid site was chosen due to its popularity among fishermen,” said CCA’s Trascher. “The shell pad remains and adding the higher relief Cajun Coral modules provides varied structure, increased hard surface and current breaks to attract and hold a wide variety of marine species.
“Additionally, by utilizing the Cajun Coral modules outside of the existing shell pads, the total reef area is over 10,000 square feet.”
When questioned about how soon the reef would show signs of life, Trascher said that some organisms show up in as little as days or a few weeks.
“Different species begin utilizing the area as it ages, but based on past experiences, I can see fishing success as soon as next spring,” he said.
The new reef consists of four clusters of the Cajun Coral modules totaling 500 individual units. Due to the unique design and shape of the modules, over five times the habitat-ready surface area is provided. The proprietary Natrx Cajun Coral modules are constructed by the Louisiana company Danos at their facility in Amelia.
Giving back
While not a direct challenge, Graves encouraged other successful companies to take a look at these projects and consider donating themselves.
“This is the American Dream – it’s not about what you make, it’s about what you give,” Graves said. “This isn’t just about fishing. Many species will benefit from these reefs and in turn, so will the fishermen, the businesses and of course, Grand Isle.”
Build it and they will come. Once the construction activities at the Raising Cane’s Hotel Sid reef site are complete, CCA Louisiana will provide the GPS coordinates. Just a short boat ride from Grand Isle, fishermen are encouraged to report future success they have at the reef to CCA and/or LDWF.
