[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
--
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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