Marine Biology Negative Effects of Artificial Reefs Term Paper

Negative Effects of Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs are man-made habitats that are created from many different materials to build new marine life communities (Rodriguez, 2004). For many years, fish and shellfish habitats have been damaged or wiped out by the development of new coastal areas, accidents, and major storms. As a result, there has been a decline in different marine life populations. Artificial reefs provide food, shelter, protection, and spawning areas for many species of fish and other marine organisms. However, artificial reefs are not just used for fish. They are also created to provide areas for scuba divers and anglers to use, reducing the human pressures that natural reefs bear on a regular basis.

Natural reefs can be looked at as the rain forests of the seafloor, supporting a broad diversity of species (Bourjaily, 2000). Like many other things found in nature, they often take centuries to mature. Due to pollution, temperature change, dredging, ship groundings, commercial fishing, and recreational diving, the reefs are in danger.

Artificial reefs have been created as a solution to this problem (Bourjaily, 2000). Artificial reefs are not a new concept, but only recently have they become a major aspect the marine environment. The first artificial reefs were made from tires, appliances, sunken ships, junked cars, culverts and concrete rubble. For this reason, they actually do more harm than good.

Artificial reefs come in many forms -- while some are created thoughtfully and purposefully, others are just a cheap way to throw out trash (Goldschmid, 1998). Although most artificial reefs provide some habitat for certain kinds of marine life, these are not always positive areas. Artificial reefs can cause a great deal of damage to natural habitats during their construction and can displace natural species and habitats.They also have a tendency to concentrate fish unnaturally, making them more vulnerable to over fishing. In some cases, they bring toxins and other pollutants into the ocean.

Many artificial reefs are just different materials tossed into the sea: wrecked cars, planes, boats, building materials and tires. Perhaps a better name for artificial reefs would be a pile of junk. Underwater, while this junk may provide some shelter for fish, it also corrodes, breaks, rusts, decomposes and leaches toxic chemicals into the water. Corals may grow very slowly on them, if at all. Normally the growth is just a bunch of weedy organisms. In the long-term, these artificial reefs are destroyed by wave forces and then become dangerous projectiles in storms.

According to Bourjaily (2004): "Tires wash ashore. Appliances, cars and ships leak harmful chemicals. Heavy objects damage natural reefs as currents toss and turn them over the seafloor. Today, only concrete and heavy-gauge steel are allowed in most U.S. waters. Deliberately sunk ships must be thoroughly cleaned before they are left to drown.

Structures are now being designed specially as artificial reefs, and stable, non-toxic concrete is the material of choice."

While artificial reefs are no longer major pollutants and no longer wash up on shore, it is unclear if reefs increase fish populations or make them easier prey for anglers. According to marine officials, artificial reefs provide more habitat and increase fish populations. They also say that angling harvests are indeed on the rise, effectively canceling the population growth. "In some cases fish seem to….....