Abstract
If the primary goal of artificial reef construction is the creation of additional reef habitat that is comparable to adjacent natural rocky-reef, then performance should be evaluated using simultaneous comparisons with adjacent natural habitats. Using baited remote underwater video (BRUV) fish assemblages on purpose-built estuarine artificial reefs and adjacent natural rocky-reef and sand-flat were assessed 18 months post-deployment in three south-east Australian estuaries. Fish abundance, species richness and diversity were found to be greater on the artificial reefs than on either naturally occurring reef or sand-flat in all estuaries. Comparisons within each estuary identified significant differences in the species composition between the artificial and natural rocky-reefs. The artificial reef assemblage was dominated by sparid species including Acanthopagrus australis and Rhabdosargus sarba. The preference for a range of habitats by theses sparid species is evident by their detection on sand-flat, natural rocky reef and artificial reef habitats. The fish assemblage identified on the artificial reefs remained distinct from the adjacent rocky-reef, comprising a range of species drawn from naturally occurring rocky-reef and sand-flat. In addition, some mid-water schooling species including Trachurus novaezelandiae and Pseudocaranx georgianus were only identified on the artificial reef community; presumably as result of the reef's isolated location in open-water. We concluded that estuarine artificial reef assemblages are likely to differ significantly from adjacent rocky-reef, potentially as a result of physical factors such as reef isolation, coupled with species specific behavioural traits such as the ability of some species to traverse large sand flats in order to locate reef structure, and feeding preferences. Artificial reefs should not be viewed as direct surrogates for natural reef. The assemblages are likely to remain distinct from naturally occurring habitat comprised of species that reside on a range of adjacent natural habitats.
Highlights
Artificial reef development in south-east Australia has followed a similar pattern to the evolution of artificial reefs projects worldwide
Botany Bay had the greatest number of species (43 spp.), regardless of habitat type, with Lake Macquarie and St Georges Basin recording similar species abundance (22 and 16 spp. respectively)
These reefs should not be viewed as direct surrogates for natural reef, rather as a hybrid assemblages made up of species that are found on a variety of adjacent natural habitats
Summary
Artificial reef development in south-east Australia has followed a similar pattern to the evolution of artificial reefs projects worldwide. During the 1960 s, artificial reefs were deployed within estuarine systems as they were cheaper to construct and typically provided proximate and economic access [1] These early artificial reefs were normally constructed as small patch reefs made from waste material and ‘materials of opportunity’ and deployed in areas of soft-bottom substrate [2,3]. The project aimed to provide additional fishing locations for recreational fishers that would be similar in species composition to naturally occurring rocky reef. These trial artificial reef deployments have been followed by renewed interest in the use of artificial reefs in other Australian states (Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia). The rapid expansion and growing interest in the deployment of artificial structures has highlighted the need for information that can guide the development of existing and future artificial reef projects
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