[Coral-List] artificial reefs - are there any basic guidelines?

Eugene Shinn eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu
Fri Jun 21 12:51:14 EDT 2013


In my experience artificial reefs are most effective (regardless of 
design) if they are not competing with natural reefs or nearby rock 
outcrops. For example scattered here and there on the vast Great Bahama 
Bank are various objects ranging from small aircraft, a Toyota car, 
discarded curbstones, lobster casitas,  ballast stones and other 
objects.  These objects attract vast numbers of fish/lobster compared to 
the surrounding mud and sand and are often surrounded by lush marine 
grass beds (presumably fertilized by the fish  attracted to object that 
is typically in the center of the grass patch. Similar objects placed 
near natural rock outcrops or coral reefs do not have the same effect. 
These observations also explain why Oil rigs in the northern gulf 
attract/produce such large fish populations. There are few natural 
outcrops and reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Gene

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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
College of Marine Science Room 221A
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158
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