12 artificial reefs created in 1998 boosted local fish numbers and species richness off Miami Beach

A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami) In 1998, researchers put 12 artificial reefs off Miami Beach to see how different materials would affect marine life. Over the next three years, divers recorded 97,826 fish from 146 species around the reefs. The study was published in the journal Aquatic Living Resources.According to the details of the study reported by Science Direct, the reefs are made from limestone, concrete-gravel aggregate and concrete containing waste tyre chips and were deployed on June 18, 1998, in about 7 metres of water. They were arranged in two lines, with six reefs in each line, and each reef was about 100 metres from the next. The study continued until February 2001, with SCUBA divers checking the reefs every two months.During these surveys, the divers recorded fish species, the number of fish and their lengths. They also counted spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus. By the end of the study, 97,826 fish belonging to 146 species were recorded.The researchers also compared fish abundance, species richness, fish biomass and spiny lobster abundance across the three reef types.The artificial reefsFour of the 12 r...