International Shipbreaking Ltd. LLC (ISL), a subsidiary of U.K.-based EMR Group, is helping to increase the red snapper population by transforming an end-of-life vessel into an artificial reef.
The company is continuing its partnership with Friends of RGV Reef, a community environmental group that is creating a series of marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, 13 miles off South Padre Island, Texas.
Since 2019, ISL has supported Friends of RGV Reef, Pharr, Texas, by donating time and equipment to assist in loading artificial reef materials. This year, ISL is supplying a decommissioned tugboat, which will be decontaminated at its facility in Brownsville, Texas, and then sunk to create a home for red snapper and other important marine life.
The partnership extends what EMR Group says is its commitment to enhancing biodiversity.
RGV Reef, which has been protecting endangered species since 2015, is the first industrial-scale nursery reef in the world, built with 72 million pounds of recycled concrete. The reef aims to boost the population of red snapper by 250,000 and to provide cover and food for the highly endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtle.
Chris Green, president of ISL, says, “Every member of the International Shipbuilding team is pleased to continue our partnership with Friends of RGV Reef, creating artificial reefs and helping a key species such as the red snapper to thrive once more.
“As one of the world’s leading recyclers, the EMR Group is committed to passing on a better, more sustainable world to the next generation. Supporting an important project that safeguards the Gulf of Mexico’s rich biodiversity is an essential part of that goal.”