Artificial Reefs

Refining Their Role in the Environment and Local Economies

Stephen A. Bortone, Oscar Delgadillo-G, Ilana R. Zalmon, Ilana Rosental Zalmon

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Edition: 1
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Print ISBN:
  9781041146827
• Subtopic: Sustainability in Architecture
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040980965
• Index: Biological Sciences

Artificial Reefs: Refining Their Role in the Environment and Local Economies represents the accumulation of over 50 years of research on artificial reefs, as presented at the 12th International Conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats (CARAH) held in Colombia in the spring of 2025. The edited, multi-authored chapters offer an up-to-date examination of broad areas of artificial reefs. These include fisheries, environmental management, survey techniques, sophisticated applications of statistical analysis, socio-economics, and the role of the citizen scientists in further expanding future research efforts.

A general theme throughout the volume is the consideration given to historical trends in methods, developments, and changes that have occurred during the past 50 years. This book builds on the strong foundation laid by our earlier colleagues and mentors. Each chapter brings together a long and fabled history of research but, more importantly, demonstrates the progress and development that artificial reef research has taken with the inclusion of modern technology, sophisticated analyses, and broadened goals of artificial reef deployments.

Careful consideration is given in every chapter to the relationships artificial reefs have with the local communities with which they are proximate. The subtitle of the book thus emphasizes the modern role that artificial reefs are playing in the economies of coastal communities.

This foundational material will provide guidance for the next 50 years of research on artificial reefs.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the Editors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• List of Contributors
• Chapter 1 Introduction: A Brief History of CARAH, Some Artificial Reef Terms, and Chapter Overviews
• Chapter 2 Trends in Fish Diversity at an Artificial Reef Complex in the Caribbean Sea Off Colombia
• Chapter 3 The Historical Context, Current Status, Management Practices, and Future Development of Artificial Reefs in China
• Chapter 4 Two Decades of Artificial Reef Research in New South Wales, Australia
• Chapter 5 Understanding the Ecological Role of Artificial Structures amidst Global Change: A Perspective
• Chapter 6 Enhancing Nektonic Communities and Juvenile Fish Biodiversity with Reef cubes® Deployments in Torbay, United Kingdom
• Chapter 7 New Insights into the Use of Baited Video and Baited Traps for Assessing the Structure and Function of Fish and Mobile Invertebrate Communities Associated with Artificial Reefs
• Chapter 8 The Ecological Importance of Offshore Pipelines as Artificial Reefs and Their Potential in Fishery Management: A Case Study in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico
• Chapter 9 Changes in Florida’s (USA) Artificial Reef Program: Managing Expectations and Challenges to Benefit Diverse Stakeholders and Ecosystems
• Chapter 10 Citizen Science-Community Engagement in Research, and Coastal Stewardship in Florida’s (USA) Northern Gulf of America: The Taylor County Artificial Reef Monitoring Program
• Chapter 11 Social Sciences in Artificial Reefs: Past “Gaps” and Future Directions
• Chapter 12 The “Gap” in Artificial Reef Assessments: The Need for a Combination of Social and Ecological Approaches
• Chapter 13 Artificial Reefs: A Perspective of What We Learned and What We Should Do Next
• Index