What are Artificial Reefs and Why Do We Need Them?
Artificial reefs are man-made habitats built from various material including rock, old ships, heavy-gauge steel structures, concrete and prefabricated modules. They are placed in areas away from nature reefs, creating new marine life communities. Over the last several decades, both nursery and deeper offshore habitats fro many fish and shell fish have been significantly reduced or heavily impacted by the development of our coastal areas, accidents, and severe storms. The reduction of these habitats, along with increased pressure on our remaining coastal resources, had lad to declines in different marine life populations. Almost every year, it seems another fishery or another marine animal becomes heavily regulated or protected. This is why artificial reefs are so important. They provide food, shelter, protection, and spawning areas for hundreds of species of fish and other marine organisms. But artificial reefs are not just for fish. They also provide alternate areas for scuba divers a
