Could artificial reefs increase access to estuarine fishery resources? Insights from a long-term assessment

Lima, Juliano Silva; Sánchez-Jérez, Pablo; Santos, Luciano Neves dos; Zalmon, Ilana Rosental

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106858

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The differences suggest that the natural reefs in the ESA may serve as breeding grounds for species of the families Scaridae, Labridae, and Mugilidae, whereas the ARs may serve as breeding grounds for the families Lutjanidae, Synodontidae, Carangidae, Fistularidae, and Haemulidae, which indicates the potential of these novel habitats to expand spawning grounds and fish production in the Espiritu Santo Archipelago. This further contribution of the ARs could benefit adjacent fishing grounds through connectivity via the export of eggs and larvae (recruitment subsidies) [55,56], a phenomenon recorded in other artificial reefs around the world [23,57,58]. In addition, the present study highlights the potential attraction effect of artificial reefs on fish larvae, with special attention being paid to mesopelagic species like Benthosema panamense and pelagic species like Cetengraulis mysticetus and Hemiramphus saltator, which do not tend to naturally reside in reef areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Assessing the Conservation Value of Artificial and Natural Reefs via Ichthyoplankton Spatio-Temporal Dynamics

Sánchez-Caballero,

Borges-Souza,

Saldierna-Martínez

et al. 2024

Fishes

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The distribution of fish eggs and larvae (ichthyoplankton) reflects spawning and nursery areas as well as dispersal routes. This study’s goal is to demonstrate how the identification of ichthyoplankton species and stages and their spatial distribution among natural reefs (NRs) and artificial reefs (ARs) may serve as decision-making tools in conservation and fishery management. Natural reefs exhibited an eight-times higher abundance of eggs, as well as the highest abundance of larvae in the yolk-sac and preflexion phases. In contrast, ARs had the highest abundance of larvae in the flexion and postflexion phases. Natural reefs may serve as breeding grounds for Scaridae, Labridae, and Mugilidae; whereas, ARs may serve as breeding sites for Lutjanidae, Synodontidae, Carangidae, Fistularidae, and Haemulidae. Our study revealed differences between ARs and NRs, which demonstrate the potential of artificial reefs to expand the supply and settlement options of reef fishes and consequently can lead to increased fish production with potential benefits to adjacent fishing areas through connectivity. Thus, ARs as no-take sites can be effective tools for both fishery management and biodiversity conservation. The findings highlight the potential use of ichthyoplankton tools and the importance of considering both types of reefs in marine conservation and management efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Assessing the Conservation Value of Artificial and Natural Reefs via Ichthyoplankton Spatio-Temporal Dynamics

Sánchez-Caballero,

Borges-Souza,

Saldierna-Martínez

et al. 2024

Fishes

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“…Nevertheless, artificial reefs often become a newly available substrate that is colonized by marine organisms [19]. Besides being coastal defence elements [20], they are recognized as a valuable solution to deter illicit trawling, bolster fish populations, and enhance small-scale coastal fisheries [21][22][23][24]. If the primary goal of artificial reef construction is the creation of additional reef habitat for fish, it should be considered that their assemblages will likely differ significantly from those of adjacent natural reefs, also depending on the rock type of the latter compared to the materials used for the former [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Fragmentation Enhances the Difference between Natural and Artificial Reefs in an Urban Marine Coastal Tract

Mancini,

Azzola,

Bianchi

et al. 2024

Diversity

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Coastal urbanization and the consequent proliferation of artificial structures greatly impact rocky reef communities, productive and diverse marine environments that play a crucial role in the functioning of broader coastal ecosystems. This study, conducted along a 7 km stretch of coastline at increasing distance from the port of Genoa (Ligurian Sea), investigated whether the alternating presence of artificial and natural reefs leads to discernible differences in the biota inhabiting these two reef types. The study area is one of the most anthropized areas of the Mediterranean Sea, exhibiting nearly 60% coastal artificialization, which severely impacts coastal ecosystems, favouring the replacement of sensitive species with more tolerant species. Ten reefs (5 natural and 5 artificial) were surveyed by scuba diving at about a 6-m depth, employing quadrats of 50 cm × 50 cm to estimate visually the percent cover of conspicuous sessile organisms. The artificial reefs hosted a similar number of species (18) to their natural counterparts (19) but exhibited a distinct community composition: the former were especially characterized by Jania rubens and filamentous algae, with the latter characterized by Peyssonnelia squamaria and Mesophyllum lichenoides. This difference, however, became negligible where coastal habitat fragmentation (here measured with a purposely devised Fragmentation Index) was minimal. Reducing fragmentation may therefore represent a management strategy to minimize the potential impact of artificial structures on marine biodiversity.

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“…The use of ARs is a technique that helps the recovery of environmentally degraded coastal areas and complements the existing natural ones, creating a favourable habitat for the development of marine life [1,2], even emulating the capacity of natural reefs to support marine life [3]. They also have social and economic benefits for local fishing communities [4,5], are used to stabilise marine coasts [6], protect the seabed from trawling methods [6], and promote diving tourism [2], among others. The immersion of ARs in marine coasts has been applied for years in various parts of the world using different objects, such as used cars, wrecks, tyres, stone or concrete blocks, and more recently, pre-designed elements with shapes that tend to reproduce natural environments [6][7][8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial reefs built by 3D printing: Systematisation in the design, material selection and fabrication

Yoris-Nobile

Slebi-Acevedo

Lizasoain-Arteaga

et al. 2023

Construction and Building Materials

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Could artificial reefs increase access to estuarine fishery resources? Insights from a long-term assessment

Cited by 15 publications

References 66 publications

Assessing the Conservation Value of Artificial and Natural Reefs via Ichthyoplankton Spatio-Temporal Dynamics

Assessing the Conservation Value of Artificial and Natural Reefs via Ichthyoplankton Spatio-Temporal Dynamics

Habitat Fragmentation Enhances the Difference between Natural and Artificial Reefs in an Urban Marine Coastal Tract

Artificial reefs built by 3D printing: Systematisation in the design, material selection and fabrication

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