Overview on artificial reefs in Europe

Abstract

A B S T R A C TArtificial reefs in Europe have been developed over the last 40 yrs. Most of these reefs have been placed in the Mediterranean Sea, but there is an increasing interest on the part of northern European countries. Fish stock enhancement and fishery management are the main purposes of reef construction in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, while nature conservation/restoration, research, and recreation have been the main purposes served in the other European regions to date. Artificial reef deployment falls under some general regulations concerning the protection of the sea against pollution due to the dumping of unsuitable materials. Specific Regional Plans relating to the use of artificial reefs in the marine environment and Guidelines for reef construction have been derived from these general regulations.In spite of recent developments, national and/or regional programs for the deployment of artificial reefs and/or their inclusion in overall management plans for integrated management of coastal zones are in force only in the majority of Mediterranean countries, while only a few projects have, to date, been undertaken in the other European Regions. Moreover, there is a noteworthy lack of plans, in many countries, for the management of the reefs after their deployment. R E S U M OOs recifes artificiais, na Europa, foram desenvolvidos nos últimos 40 anos. A maioria desses recifes foram instalados no Mar Mediterrâneo, mas despertam um interesse crescente por parte dos paises do norte europeu. O incentivo aos estoques pesqueiros e o manejo da pesca são os principais objetivos da construção de recifes no Mar Mediterrâneo e na costa Atlântica da Península Ibérica, enquanto a preservação / recuperação da natureza, a pesquisa e a recreação tem sido os principais objetivos das demais regiões européias até hoje. A implantação de recifes artificiais está submetida a algumas regulamentações básicas quanto à proteção dos oceanos com relação à poluição devido ao despejo de materiais. Projetos Regionais específicos relativos ao uso de recifes artificiais no ambiente marinho e Instruções para a construção de recifes são decorrentes dessa Regulamentação Geral. Apesar de avanços recentes, programas regionais e/ou nacionais sobre a instalação de recifes artificiais e/ou a sua inclusão nos planos gerais de planejamento para a gestão integral das zonas costeiras tem mais destaque somente em grande parte dos paises do Mediterrâneo, enquanto que, poucos projetos até hoje tem sido realizados nas outras Regiões Européias. Além disso, em muitos países, há uma notável falta de projetos para o manejo dos recifes, depois de instalados.

CARAH (International Conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats): an historical perspective of accomplishments

“…Also, on a grand scale, Fabi et al. () presented a more complete overview of artificial reefs in Europe. Concomitant with this effort, we are now seeing the results of long‐term (10 years or more) studies that are giving a broader appreciation of space and time to artificial reef research (e.g.…”

Spatial Management of Fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea

“…About 250 artificial reef areas were created in 10 Mediterranean countries after the first scientifically planned reefs deployed in 1974 off the Adriatic coast of central Italy (Bombace, 1989;Fabi et al, 2011). Artificial reefs have been planned as a fisheries management tool able to increase fishing yields and reduce conflicts among different fisheries sectors and, to a lesser extent, as a protection device for coastal sensitive habitats, namely Posidonia oceanica beds.…”

“…Another management tool for fisheries widespread in the Mediterranean is represented by artificial reefs (Fabi et al, 2011;FAO, 1995). Even if no explicit legislation exists, specific guidelines referring to the deployment of artificial reefs in the marine environment have been adopted (UNEP-MAP, 2005).…”

Expectations of professional and recreational users of artificial reefs in the Gulf of Lion, France

“…Artificial reefs (ARs) exist worldwide (Baine, ; Fabi et al., ), and numerous studies have focused on their ecological characteristics (Baine, ). The main objectives of those studies were to characterise the fish colonisation of ARs (e.g.…”