Artificial reef footprint in the United States ocean

Paxton, Avery B.; Steward, D’amy N.; Mille, Keith J.; Renchen, Jeffrey; Harrison, Zachary H.; Byrum, Jordan S.; Brinton, Cameron; Nelson, Alicia; Simpson, Ethan; Clarke, Peter J.; LaPorta, Christopher; Barrett, Patrick D.; Rousseau, Mark; Newton, D. Craig; Rigby, Russell B.; Williams, D. Travis; Shipley, J. Brooke; Murakawa, Paul; Runde, Brendan J.; Riley, Kenneth L.; Bacheler, Nathan M.; Kellison, G. Todd; Taylor, J. Christopher

doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01258-7

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A recent study found that <0.01% of the total southeast United States Atlantic coast (SEUS) seafloor area has artificial reef coverage whereas 2.6% of the seafloor is covered by natural reefs (Steward et al, 2022). Thus, while artificial reefs cover only a small proportion of the SEUS seafloor, a growing trend in increasing cover of artificial reefs (Paxton et al, 2024) could lead them to become an increasingly vital habitat for fish communities and stakeholder utilization. Indeed, increased use of marine resources by recreational fishers in the SEUS is a growing trend with an increase in average annual trips from 38 million in the 1980's to 50 million in recent years (MRIP 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial structure selection by economically important reef fishes at North Carolina artificial reefs

Tharp,

Hostetter,

Paxton

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial reefs can play an important role in marine fisheries management by supplementing or enhancing natural habitats. Despite their increased use in recent years, the choice of structures used at artificial reefs remains largely haphazard due to the lack of information on reef structure performance. Few studies have examined the use of different artificial reef structures by individual fish. From 2021-2022, we acoustically tagged 72 black sea bass (Centropristis striata), 34 gag (Mycteroperca mircrolepis), 27 greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), nine almaco jack (S. rivoliana), and eight red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on four artificial reef complexes near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, U.S. Available artificial reef structures consisted of materials of various sizes and heights made of concrete and metal. We tracked tagged fish using a fine-scale positioning system for ~100 days. Black sea bass exhibited high site fidelity to the artificial structure where we caught them, rarely moving away from that structure. The limited movement resulted in low transition probabilities; we conclude that black sea bass do not select for particular artificial structures. Gag and red snapper moved greater distances away from artificial structures and routinely moved between them. Greater amberjack and almaco jack moved the most within the complexes displaying circling behavior around individual structures and were the only species that regularly moved off the artificial reef complexes. Greater amberjack movements away from artificial sites were most commonly directed to surrounding shipwrecks. Whereas gag, red snapper, almaco jack, and greater amberjack used all available structures, they consistently selected for high relief structures, such as vessels, more than other structures. These results will be useful to managers charged with decisions on what types of structures to place at artificial reef complexes to supplement or enhance habitat for economically important fishes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial structure selection by economically important reef fishes at North Carolina artificial reefs

Tharp,

Hostetter,

Paxton

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Mapped US artificial reef footprint

Pioch,

Patterson

2024

Nat Sustain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fish abundance is enhanced within a network of artificial reefs in a large estuary

Grimes,

Morley,

Richie

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial reefs may be created within estuaries for multiple reasons, including habitat enhancement, oyster production, or recreational fishing. While traditional sampling in this environment is difficult due to complex structures and the high turbidity of estuaries, acoustic imaging sonar provides an effective alternative to measure abundance and size spectra of the fish community. We sampled eight artificial reefs in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, that are designated as oyster sanctuaries. At each oyster sanctuary, we sampled 26 boat positions along two transects using ARIS imaging sonar, which included control areas outside of the sanctuaries over featureless bottom. We found that fish abundance and mean length were greater within the oyster sanctuary boundaries, but did not observe any significant differences among artificial substrate types within the sanctuaries. Further, we found that fish abundance dropped to near background levels within 25 m outside of the oyster sanctuary edge. Size spectra analysis revealed that abundance was higher in the sanctuaries versus control areas for every length bin of the fish community (5 to 50 cm). However, the differences in abundance were greatest for 10 to 30 cm fishes. Our results can be coupled with previous research on species composition data to more fully understand the potential role that the Pamlico Sound oyster sanctuaries, and estuarine artificial reefs in general, serve as habitat and recreational fishing enhancement.

show abstract

Artificial reef footprint in the United States ocean

Cited by 3 publications

References 54 publications

Artificial structure selection by economically important reef fishes at North Carolina artificial reefs

Artificial structure selection by economically important reef fishes at North Carolina artificial reefs

Mapped US artificial reef footprint

Fish abundance is enhanced within a network of artificial reefs in a large estuary

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About