Artificial Reefs in Florida 101 – why are they built? Part 1 of an Artificial Reef series

Lisa Chong, Angela B. Collins, Holly Abeels, Anna Braswell, Andrew Ropicki, Scott Jackson, and Edward V. Camp

Release Date: 4/4/2022

Reviewed At: 6/3/2025

DOI: 10.32473/edis-fr450-2022

Natural Resources

Abstract

Increasingly, coastal managers are placing artificial reefs in marine waters. These long-lasting habitat alterations have measurable effects on fish, fishers, divers, fisheries, and marine social ecological systems. Understanding how artificial reefs function is necessary to make good decisions about future artificial reefs. Scientific research on many aspects of artificial reefs is not always summarized and explained. In response to this need, we designed a 4-part series called Artificial Reefs 101. This publication, Part 1 of the Artificial Reefs 101 series, explains why artificial reefs are built. It defines what artificial reefs are and explains why people build and deploy artificial reefs. It should help the interested public understand how artificial reefs affect marine resources, and provide a background and baseline of information for decision-makers such as local officials, management agency personnel, and Extension agents.

About this Publication

This document is FOR379, one of a series of the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. Original publication date February 2022. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

About the Authors

Lisa Chong, PhD student, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences; Angela B. Collins, UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant Extension agent Manatee County; Holly Abeels, UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant agent Brevard County; Anna Braswell, assistant professor, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences and UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant specialist; Andrew Ropicki, assistant professor, marine resource economics, Food and Resource Economics Department and UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant marine economics specialist; Scott Jackson, UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant agent Bay County; and Edward V. Camp, assistant professor, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

How to Cite

Chong, L., Collins, A. B., Abeels, H., Braswell, A., Andrew Ropicki, Jackson, S., & Camp, E. (2022). Artificial Reefs in Florida 101 – why are they built? Part 1 of an Artificial Reef series. EDIS, 2022(2). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fr450-2022

Authors

Lawrence Jackson

county Extension director and regional specialized Extension agent (retired), artificial reefs and recreational fisheries, Florida Sea Grant Program, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County, Panama City, FL

Angela Collins

Specialist

University of Florida

Extension assistant scientist, Ph.D., Florida Sea Grant and School of Forests, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab, Ruskin, FL

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Holly Abeels

County agent

University of Florida

Extension agent III, Florida Sea Grant Program, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County

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Anna Braswell

Specialist

University of Florida

assistant professor, coastal macrosystem ecology, UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Gainesville, FL

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Andrew Ropicki

Specialist

University of Florida

assistant professor and Florida Sea Grant marine economics specialist, UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department, Gainesville FL

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Edward Camp

Contact

Specialist

University of Florida

associate professor, fisheries and aquaculture governance, UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Gainesville FL

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Publication #FOR379