In 2018, an idea began to emerge in Okaloosa County, Florida which would lead to offshore changes that only a few could imagine at the time. Captain Kelly Windes, a former county commissioner, was suggesting the creation of the first Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Buoy Network in the continental U.S.
In 2020 and 2021, that network became a reality when eight moored surface buoys were placed between 60 to 80 miles offshore in water depths between 1100 and 2400 feet. Named in honor of Capt. Windes, his vision to forever augment the marine habitat and support fishing was now a reality.
To start, placing the FADs relatively close to shore saves many boaters’ time and fuel, while still providing productive fishing. The proximity to the shore is also good for local coastal businesses dependent upon tourism. In fact, deployment of the buoys was financed by a percentage of a tourism tax paid on expenditures at restaurants and hotels.
According to Alex Fogg, Coastal Resource Manager for Okaloosa County, which includes Destin-Fort Walton Beach, “this project has been tremendously successful,” providing anglers and divers with pelagics, including blue marlin, wahoo, and an array of many other fish species. Similar to the offshore oil rigs off Louisiana, these giant FADS attract boats from both the east and west, and rightfully so. The Windes FAD Network even provides access for smaller center consoles who might not have had the opportunity to venture as far offshore.
The Windes FAD Network will soon become the world’s largest artificial reef, when the 990-foot ocean liner, S.S. United States is added. The S.S. United States still holds the transatlantic speed record set on its maiden voyage in 1952. Since 1996, she has been docked in Philadelphia, PA. At the time of this writing, she was being towed to a shipyard in Mobile, AL, where she will remain for a year as all hazardous waste is removed and the hull is modified to ensure she rests upright in the Gulf.
Okaloosa County plans to partner with the S.S. United States Conservancy and build a land-based museum, featuring “iconic components from the ship, including its distinctive funnels and radar mast, along with the Conservancy’s extensive collection of artifacts and archives. Many prominent individuals were once her passenger, including Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The ship also carried four US presidents — Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Clinton.
