 Florida's
Artificial Reefs
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 and anglers to use,
reducing the user pressure that natural reefs endure.
Locate a
Florida Artificial Reef
To Build or Not to Build
Constructing artificial reefs is a way of enhancing marine
habitat. However, this technique raises some issues. Do artificial reefs
actually enhance fisheries stocks, or do they merely serve as fish
attractors? Some scientists argue that artificial reefs decrease the
fish population because fish gather at the reefs and are easier to
catch. Others state that reefs not only attract fish but also increase
the fish population by providing viable habitats.
In Florida, we have many different kinds of artificial reefs, but they
all have something in common - they support fish, which in turn attracts
anglers and recreational diver who spend money in local communities. As
a result, business in coastal communities have great interest in
bringing artificial reefs to their areas. Local coastal governments
throughout Florida receive grants from DEP to fund artificial reef
development. The challenge is to use reef technology to enhance
fisheries stocks and, at the same time, provide the economical benefits
that anglers and recreational divers bring to coastal areas.
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Florida Leads the Nation
Florida is the leading state in the number of active permitted
artificial reef sites, with 329 now documented. Only one Florida county
on the Atlantic coast and two on the Gulf coast have no artificial
reefs. The first reef permit on file is dated November 1918. Over the
years, some 352 artificial reefs have been permitted.
What are Artificial Reefs Made of?
Reef construction materials have changed over the years. In earlier
days, surplus auto tires were used as convenient and inexpensive reef
building materials. Surplus small craft and household plumbing, cooking
stoves, and refrigerators were also popular materials. However,
corrosion, covering by sand, and storm waves often cause these reefs to
fall apart and scatter on the ocean's bottom so that they no longer were
attractive to fish.
Reef construction has changed toward using more environmentally
stable materials. Currently, materials such as cast concrete, bridge
rubble, pipe materials, large storage tanks, and decommissioned ships
and barges are being used to construct reefs. Several of the larger
reefs use Liberty ships or similar large transport vessels. Abandoned
oil platforms have been sunk off Panhandle and Southeast and Northeast
Florida.
WARNING: Many artificial reefs lie in water depths that
exceed the recommended sport diving limitations. Any swimmer, diver, or
snorkeler shall approach or visit each artificial reef at his or her own
risk. The Palm Beach County Artificial Reef Program and Committee, the
Board of County Commissioners of Palm Reach County, and the County of
Palm Beach are not responsible for any hazards which may exist or arise
on, about, or near the artificial reefs, or for any injuries or
fatalities which may occur as a result of any person's presence on,
about, or near the artificial reefs.
Books on Florida's Artificial Reefs
Some text on this page provided by the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection.
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