The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners approved the deployment of eight shallow water fish aggregating devices (FADs) off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach during their Tuesday meeting.

• The commissioners unanimously approved a $513,000 single source purchase order to Walter Marine LLC for the deployment of the eight FADs, which will be positioned approximately 25 nautical miles from Destin Pass in water depths ranging from 206 to 297 feet. 

The shallow water FADs will provide closer fishing opportunities for local and visiting anglers targeting pelagic species including wahoo, tuna, mahi and marlin. Before the initial FAD deployment, anglers had to travel well over 100 miles to oil and gas platforms off Alabama and Louisiana for consistent pelagic fishing opportunities.  In 2020, that changed when the eight offshore FADs were deployed in the vicinity of DeSoto Canyon.

“The intent of this second project is to provide closer destinations for local and visiting anglers to access pelagic fishing opportunities within 30 miles of Destin-Fort Walton Beach,” said Jennifer Adams, Director of the Tourist Development Department, in a memo. “The addition of the closer FAD network will continue to build Destin-Fort Walton Beach as the premier fishing and diving destination in the world.”

This second phase builds upon the success of the original eight-buoy Captain Kelly Windes FAD Network, deployed 60-80 miles offshore between 2020 and 2021. That network was the first of its kind in the continental United States and has proven highly successful, with reports of various pelagic fish species being caught at the FAD sites within weeks of deployment and continue to be consistent locations for people to target pelagic fish.  

• The initial FADs also provided a novel scientific research platform for tracking fish movements and human use as well as assessing pelagic fish populations that had not been possible before.

The original FAD project took five years to permit, but the shallow water deployment benefited from streamlined permitting processes. In March 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a nationwide permit for the project that says the FADs must be deployed by April 2026. 

• The buoys must be deployed in water shallower than 330 feet to avoid potential impacts to endangered Rice’s whales.

Former Commissioner Captain Kelly Windes, who championed the original FAD network, approached the board in February 2023 requesting exploration of additional FAD deployments. The commissioners unanimously approved directing staff to move forward with the request.

“Wahoos were caught in the middle of January, which is unusual for years past,” said Windes during the 2023 meeting. “It’s been mostly wahoos and some dolphin (mahi mahi), but it’s really proven itself in the off-season, which has been a blessing.”

The shallow water FADs will use the same Okabe design that has proven successful in the deeper water network. The buoys are manufactured in Japan and designed to withstand significant storm systems. The first four buoys of the original network have sustained no damage during tropical storm systems since fall 2020.

• “Due to the lessons learned and the success of the eight Okabe design FAD buoys 60-80mi offshore, staff proposes working with the previously selected contractor to acquire and deploy the same buoy design that has proven successful,” the agenda item states. “It’s important to note that neighboring communities that have installed alternative FAD buoys in the past two years have had numerous failures.”

The project will be funded through savings realized from the military’s acquisition of the Spirit of Norfolk vessel artificial reef project. The cost of the shallow water phase is less than the original contract amount because the buoys will be deployed in shallower water requiring shorter mooring systems.

Each buoy will include Coast Guard approved solar-powered lighting, integrated radar reflection, and GPS tracking devices for retrieval in case of mooring system failure. The deployment is designed to withstand oceanographic conditions for more than five years, after which the buoys will either be removed or replaced.

“On the scientific and fisheries management side of the program, these buoys are providing a stable platform to answer questions about different fish species that have not been able to be answered before,” said Alex Fogg, Okaloosa County Natural Resources Chief. “When we can check so many boxes when it comes to benefitting tourism, locals, scientific research AND the environment, you know you have a winning project.”

The shallow FAD buoy network, like the offshore network, will be monitored throughout the year to ensure proper performance. The Tourism Development Department plans to expand collaborations with universities to better understand fish interactions and human use associated with the FAD network.

The success of the original FAD network has further established Okaloosa County as a leader in coastal resource management and the creation of novel tourism products. Before the initial FAD project, pelagic fishing in the area was inconsistent, and the fishing now equals or exceeds other destinations known for pelagic fishing opportunities.

“This is just another example of how our leadership has allowed creative thinking to drive tourism product development beyond traditional projects,” added Fogg. “This support, coupled with a one-of-a-kind fishing and diving destination. makes these projects a no brainer.”

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