[Coral-List] Conch as artificial reef

[Todd Barber]

We have used conch shells successfully inside of Reef Balls for increased
complexity....however, conch shells in piles can be problematic in areas
where hurricanes are present as they can become "missles" destroying natural
reefs as they move around.  Therefore, we recommend only using them inside
of Reef Balls or other containment systems so they are stable.

-Todd Barber
Reef Ball Foundation
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Ostrander" <gofish at jhu.edu>
To: <greenforce at batelnet.bs>; <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Conch as artificial reef


> When I was teaching a Tropical Marine Biology Course on San Salvador in
> the 1980's and 1990's we often used conch shells to construct artificial
> reefs for the student to monitor recruitment over 2-3 weeks.   Moreover,
> there were a few sites around the island where the local population
> routinely cleaned conch and discarded the shells in the water.  The
> 15-20 foot high piles of discarded conch shells appeared to be excellent
> artificial reefs.
>
> Gary K. Ostrander
> Johns Hopkins University
>
> >>> Greenforce Bahamas <greenforce at batelnet.bs> 01/22/04 07:57PM >>>
> Hi,
>
> Have been considering using conch shells to construct an artificial
> reef for a pilot study. Has anyone used conch shells for this purpose
> before. Any advice? Are they a good substrate for coral recuitment? Have
> they been successful for such purposes in the past? Are there any
> recommendation regarding citation of artificial reefs, other than
> depending on goals of reef use?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Kirstie Knowles (Science co-ordinator) and the Greenforce, Bahamas
> team.
>
>
>
> Greenforce Bahamas
> Blanket Sound
> Andros Island
> Bahamas
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