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Abstract
Popular marine habitat enhancements, artificial reefs can benefit sea life and humans. Floridians visit them every year to fish, dive, snorkel, or boat around. The number of artificial reefs is growing around Florida, but their function and impact are difficult to describe because artificial reefs change over time as they become encrusted with fouling organisms or altered by storms and shifting sands. As reefs change, expectations shift, and advances in research and monitoring allow us to learn more about them. This publication provides an update of Florida’s recent artificial reef activities. It focuses on new deployments, designs, and monitoring objectives from 2015 to 2021. It should help management agencies and outreach and education professionals understand recent trends in priorities. Fishing and diving clubs, monitoring programs, local artificial reef planners and coordinators, and other stakeholders can discover and share information learned across counties.
References
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Bortone, S. 2011. "A Pathway to Resolving an Old Dilemma: Lack of Artificial Reefs in Fisheries Management." In Artificial Reefs in Fisheries Management, edited by Stephen A. Bortone, Frederico Pereira Brandini, Gianna Fabi, and Shinya Otake, 311–321. CRC Press https://doi.org/10.1201/b10910
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2003. State of Florida Artificial Reef Strategic Plan. Division of Marine Fisheries Management, Tallahassee, FL.
Karnauskas M., J. F. Walter, M. D. Campbell, A. G. Pollack, J. M. Drymon, and S. Powers. 2017. “Red Snapper Distribution on Natural Habitats and Artificial Structures in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.” Marine and Coastal Fisheries 9:50–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/19425120.2016.1255684
Lindberg, W. J., and W. Seaman. 2011. "Guidelines and Management Practices for Artificial Reef Siting, Use, Construction, and Anchoring in Southeast Florida Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative." Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Miami, FL. xi and 150 pages.