Report
Materials of Opportunity in Artificial Reef Developments: A review of trends, efficacy and impacts on aquatic environments
FRDC Lit Review
Unpublished
2025
Abstract
The global increase in population and the corresponding demand for sustainable fisheries has intensified the need for innovative fisheries enhancement and protection measures. One measure to be used in this pursuit is the deployment of artificial reefs (ARs). ARs have many definitions and purposes, but can be broadly defined as any man-made structure deployed in an aquatic environment to provide substrate or shelter for biota, particularly fish (Lima et al., 2019). In addition to offering physical shelter, ARs enhance ecological functions by increasing primary production and food availability. Mechanisms include (i) the provision of hard substrate for algal settlement (Choi et al., 2019), which in turn are fed on by invertebrate consumers, and (ii) increased upwelling caused by interactions between local hydrological forces and the physical presence of an AR, making nutrients more available, stimulating phytoplankton growth and increasing nutrient cycling in the immediate and surrounding AR area (Layman & Allgeier, 2020). These processes foster biodiverse and resilient aquatic ecosystems...
Details
- Title
- Materials of Opportunity in Artificial Reef Developments: A review of trends, efficacy and impacts on aquatic environments
- Authors/Creators
- Dominic HollandDanielle HartshornJames TweedleyKim de VriesJames FlorissonEligh QuigleySander Scheffers
- Publication Details
- FRDC Lit Review
- Publisher
- Unpublished
- Identifiers
- 991005812020607891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences; Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report
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