Oregon Inlet: Challenges & Solutions
With 195 slips and a charter fleet of 21 sport fishing boats for offshore, nearshore and inlet fishing, Pirate’s Cove Marina is one of the largest world class marinas on the East Coast.
Yet, in the past several years, issues with sand migration from the north at times have made it nearly impossible for boats to access the ocean via the Oregon Inlet channel.
Thanks to an inlet dredging program that began about a year ago, all that has changed, according to Jim Tobin, manager of the Pirate’s Cove Marina and head of task force for Oregon Inlet.
“A couple years ago, there were times when sand migration completely filled in the Bonner Bridge navigational span,” Tobin said. “You could stand up under the bridge where the boats were supposed to go. With the dredging project, we’ve been able to keep it open.”
Additionally, Tobin says the task force is pursuing other options for sand management, including sand bypass systems, jetties and other alternatives to ensure they remain one step ahead of any issues that may arise.
Positive Effects for Pirate's Cove Community
If, as planned, Oregon Inlet continues to be dredged and open, Tobin predicts the Pirate’s Cove fishing community and its coveted Big Game Tournament will see a significant rise in participation.
At its peak, the tournament boasted 130 charter boats. From a low of 50 participating boats, last year’s tournament saw a jump back up to 75 boats.
As word continues to spread about the more predictable navigational spans, Tobin said he expects more tournament growth to come.
“It’s harder to get the good news out, but we’re solving a lot of these issues,” Tobin said. “We’ve already seen use go up in this past year, and we expect this positive trend to continue. You could see a doubling of business in the marine industry."
This will also have a positive affect on the Pirate’s Cove housing market. Land, residence and boat slip values in the community are inextricably linked to the quality of the Pirate’s Cove boating and fishing experience. As this continually improves, homeowners can expect to see return on their investments also increase.
“We expect [easily navigable inlets] to breathe a lot of life not just into tournaments but into the Pirate’s Cove Community,” Tobin said
The New Bonner Bridge
Tobin stressed that the key to success for Pirate’s Cove charter fishing remains keeping navigational spans properly dredged.
But he said that it is possible the new Bonner Bridge will mean more deep water access and maybe even a lowering of dredging costs. Additionally, the navigational span will increase from 125 feet to 2500 feet—almost half a mile—meaning that it will likely be possible for more boats to travel through the span at once.
The Bonner Bridge project is scheduled to be completed in September 2019. See below for a visualization of what the new bridge will look like once construction is complete.