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...
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