I was all nosy and contacted NOAA because I couldn't find any solid info online and I thought the permit # from a govt agency would be super long, unlike the one they gave. The ArcReef website looks so informative, but that's the only info I found. Anyway, NOAA said...
"NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office issues aquacultured live rock permits for federal waters off of Florida. AQU-069 is an established aquaculture live rock site.
Please note that federal aquacultured live rock sites are
not classified as "artificial reefs". Rather, under this program permittees deposit bare rock on the bottom of their site and over time corals, sponges and other encrusting organisms colonize the rock. The permit holder will then harvest the rock and market/sell the rock for the aquarium trade -- thus the rock and the animals (with the exception of any ESA listed corals) are property of that permit holder.
The aquacultured live rock permitting program for federal waters off of Florida has been in existence since the early/mid 1990s and was put into place by a joint fishery management plan created by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This program was instituted as a replacement for harvest of wild live rock, which is now illegal. The state of Florida instituted a similar aquacultured live rock program in state waters which is managed by the Florida Division of Aquaculture in Tallahassee.
Lastly, you can search for current permits issued by NOAA Fisheries at:
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/operation...dom_of_information_act/common_foia/index.html
I would point out that
a valid federal aquacultured live rock permit is only necessary during years when a permittee conducts activity (i.e., depositing bare rock or harvesting encrusted rock). Due to the fact that it may take many years for coral and other organisms to colonize bare rock,
permittees may deposit bare rock one year and may not harvest for several years after. Thus,
you may not see an active permit for AQU-069 if that permittee does not plan to deposit or harvest this year (although permittees may still visit their site). "
Not sure if the heart reef is supposed to be their aquaculture site or a reef they are creating "offshore in the Atlantic Ocean" as a service to the planet.
So, if you want to start your own FL aquaculture site, there's some info.
I, too, am curious about bottled coralline algae spores + nitrifying bacteria with a 2-week shelf life. Perhaps they would donate a bottle to a classroom...