Development of benthic and fish assemblages on artificial reef materials compared to adjacent natural reef assemblages in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Published source details Thanner S.E., McIntosh T.L. & Blair S.M. (2006) Development of benthic and fish assemblages on artificial reef materials compared to adjacent natural reef assemblages in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Bulletin of Marine Science, 78, 57-70.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use structures made from unnatural materials to restore/repair/create habitat for corals to encourage natural coral settlement Action Link

Use structures made from unnatural materials to restore/repair/create habitat for corals to encourage natural coral settlement

A site comparison study in 1999–2004 at an artificial and natural coral reef site in Bal Harbour, Florida, USA (Thanner et al. 2006) found that corals settled on an artificial reef made from concrete and limerock and, over time, the coral community more closely resembled the adjacent natural reef and stony coral coverage and density increased. The coral community on the artificial reef became more similar to the natural reefs during the first 3.5 years after the artificial reef was installed and then stabilized to a similarity of 45–58% (data presented as a Bray Curtis Index). Average cover of stony coral increased on the artificial reef to 1.35% after five years and was reported as similar to one of the natural reefs (0.70%). Density of stony corals increased from 0.21/m² in year one to 25.29/m² after five years. In May 1999, an artificial reef comprising a 46 × 23 m rectangle of 8,000 t of 0.9–1.5 m diameter limerock boulders surrounded by 179 prefabricated concrete and limerock modules (see paper for details). These modules were installed between two natural reefs, 3.1 km offshore, 20 m deep. Reefs were monitored every six months for five years from October 1999 using quadrats to record coral diversity and density.

(Summarised by: Ann Thornton)