Andalusia Gets 25 Artificial Reefs
August 24th, 2011
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, conscious of the need to protect fishery resources in coastal areas, has installed 25 artificial reefs off the Andalusian coast during the period between 1989 and 2011.
These measures will help protect some 480 square kilometres of coastline thanks to a final investment figure of nearly twelve million euros – 25% from the autonomous region itself, and the remaining 75% from the European Fisheries Fund.
For the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Clara Aguilera, this action makes Andalusia “a territory that is committed to protecting the marine environment, while enhancing the artisanal fisheries sector, and more importantly, allowing the regeneration of fish stocks and guarding against the over-exploitation of resources”.
The installation of these reefs will help protect coastal areas, some of high biological and fishing interest, and deter fishing in prohibited areas.
Diario Sur reported that the main purpose of these reefs is to act as a deterrent, since the installations restrict the ability to carry out activities like trawling in unauthorised waters, thus preserving the ecological value of these areas, and enhancing the nursery phase of many marine species of interest. In short, this would result in an increase in coastal fishery resources and promote sustainable farming of fish stocks.
The reef installations are built from modules constructed in reinforced concrete, mainly due to the porosity and roughness of the material, ease of construction and transportation, and also its ease of installation and durability under water. Once the artificial reef modules are put in place a check to ensure that they have been installed correctly is carried out using a sonar scanner.
Artificial Reefs in Huelva, Granada and Malaga
Artificial reefs are presently being installed off the coast of Huelva, Granada and Malaga. In Huelva, the project is to preserve and strengthen the artificial reef at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, located north of the mouth of the river, off the coast of Doñana National Park, and aims to maintain and reinforce the reef in order to deter illegal fishing activities and thus preserve the ecological value of the area. This reef is already installed and will soon be checked for proper positioning of the anchor modules using the sonar scanner.
Similarly, the artificial reef at Calahonda (Granada) aims to protect, regenerate and develop the fisheries resources while slowing the deterioration of seagrass meadows which has a high ecological value in helping the recovery of the habitat and integral organisms of those ecosystems. Another of the newly installed artificial reefs is located off the coast at Algarrobo (Málaga), and again meets the objectives of protection, regeneration and development of fisheries resources.
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