Construction Begins on Artificial Reef

HOUSTON - Eight miles off the Texas coast, heavy concrete structures splash into the Gulf of Mexico.

It's the beginnings of the Jack Cowan Reef, a man-made refuge for marine life named after a Texas artist who immortalized the outdoors.

The artificial reef is being installed by the Recreational Fishing Alliance whose spokesman, Dan Bulla, said it will spark a positive chain reaction.

"More fish, more fishermen," said Bulla, "more tourism, more income for the coastal communities of Texas."

The RFA originally planned an ambitious artificial reef the length of the entire Texas coast.

But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has initially approved two small areas.

One of them is eight miles from Freeport, where the Jack Cowan Reef is being located.

The other will be in the Gulf near Port Mansfield, Bulla said.