This article was originally featured on The Conversation.
When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.
For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the US coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.
We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the US and beyond. Through our research, we have learned that artificial reefs can be hot spots for large predatory fish such as groupers and jacks. They also can serve as stepping stones for reef fish expanding their range northward with warming water temperatures and as rest stops for sharks.
Artificial reefs can be strategically designed and placed to optimize fish habitat. But although they provide valuable ecological services, no one has inventoried how many of these structures exist in US waters or how much seafloor they occupy.
To help fill this knowledge gap, we led a team of scientists and artificial reef directors from the 17 US states with artificial reef-building programs in the first national calculation of artificial reef extent. Our new study shows that these reefs cover a total of about 7 square miles (19 square kilometers) of US seafloor–an area equivalent to 3,600 football fields. We also describe the diversity of objects used to create reefs, as well as patterns in artificial reef creation over time.
Creating modern artificial reefs
Modern reefing is different from dumping trash into the water and is regulated at the federal and state levels. A rigorous permitting and approval process ensures that the proposed objects or materials are appropriate to deploy in the ocean.
For example, decommissioned ships are thoroughly
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