The Defiance, a shrimp boat that’s been in service for more than 50 years, became the latest addition to the artificial reef near South Padre Island on Tuesday. 

The RGV Reef has grown to 1,650 acres, about the size of the city limits of South Padre Island.

The Defiance is now the eighth ship that was intentionally sunk in the RGV Reef.

Dr. Richard Kline, a marine biologist at UTRGV, has been studying the benefits of the reef and said the reef is helping remove carbon from the atmosphere. 

“The surface algae are taking in all this sunlight and all this carbon dioxide, and then they're raining down on the reef, and everything on that reef is eating that,” Kline said.

According to Kline, the reef now has 10 tons of fish biomass, and they expect more thanks to Tuesday’s sinking of the Defiance.

“As soon as that habitat gets down in the water, these fish are dying for that habitat,” Curtis Hayungs with the RGV Reef Project said. “This is not only creating a multitude of habitat for marine species, dolphins, turtles, but it's really helping with the local economy."

RGV Reef continues planning more reefs for 2025.

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