Fierce and Secretive, a Moray Eel Has Found Shelter in the Hollow of A
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Fierce and secretive, a moray eel has found shelter in the hollow of a concrete module, deliberately sunk in order to restore the coral reefs of the Larvotto Marine Reserve (Monaco, Mediterranean Sea). Creating A Reef Artificial reefs are man-made structures that are either deliberately or unintentio- nally submerged underwater, commonly with the result of mimicking some charac- teristics of a natural reef. They may be created from a variety of sources and materials including the inten- tional sinking of ships and barges, concrete structures, tyres and other materials.The intentional deployment of artificial reefs enhances the production of reef associa- ted species and mitigates against losses from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Artificial reefs may also be created through unintentional means (e.g., ship or plane wrecks that can become historical in nature) and through structures built for other purposes (e.g., decommissioned oil and gas platforms, jetties, bridges, off- shore lighthouses, etc. Artificial reefs at the Larvotto Marine Re- marine life and encourage populations of serve, Monaco, Mediterranean. marine plants, invertebrates and fish. For almost 40 years, the Monaco Associa- tion for the Protection of Nature (AMPN) [Right] The concrete modules provide- has been involved in many activities desi- luxury appartments for species such as gned to protect the marine environment, scorpionfish. Nestled between the bricks, such as conserving Posidonia eel-grass, where they find the smaller fish and crus- reintroducing speces and sinking artificial taceans on which they feed, these two are reefs. The structures provide habitats for perfectly caomouflaged. In 2009 the MUSA Cancun Underwater Each statue is made with PH-neutral ce- Museum in Mexico was opened with a ment so that coral, seaweed, and algae dual purpose: to serve as a tourist attrac- are able to grow and develop more easily tion and to help preserve Mexico’s natu- than they would on other artificial reef ral reefs, which had become damage by structures, such as sunken ships. storms, boat anchors and tourism. The statues also feature holes in them, The museum, completed in 2013, now has which allow marine wildlife to colonize a total of 500 sculptures by six artists, in- and feed off the coral. cluding a large collection of human statues In time, all statues will be covered and the by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. figures barely visible. The passage of El Nino in 1998 caused the bleaching and mass die-off of corals around El Nido on the island of Palawan, a top tourist diving and fishing destination in the Philippines. WWF-Philippines has been working with numerous partners to install ceramic corals (EcoReefs®) ideally suited for relatively rapid colonisation by corals and other invertebrates (within 7-15 years). Once it finds a structure to which it can cling, coral can start to develop quickly, as on these old tyres, deliberately sunk in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. The irregular surface of these concrete spheres encourages the growth of corals and algae. After more than 10 years in the North Sulawesi Sea, Indonesia, they are almost completely colonised. Spheres of concrete submerged in order to restore a reef that has been destroyed by dynamite, a destructive fishing practice in Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Artificial reefs are generally installed in Scientists Julian Caley and Shawn Smith regions where there is only sand or a flat have collaborated for 4 years on a huge sea bed, as seen here on Lizard Island, census of the species of the Great Barrier Queensland, Australia. The introduction of Reef, led by the Australian Oceanographic a very complex habitat, with hard founda- Institute and the Great Barrier Reef Foun- tions, has a big impact on local biodiver- dation, and have installed this small arti- sity, both for fixed fauna and flora and for ficial reef in order to find out which life mobile fauna (crustaceans and fish). forms will arrive to inhabit it. Busselton, a small resort town on the south the wooden poles. coast of Western Australia, has the longest Created 10 years ago, this observatory is wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere, today one of most famous artifical reef at around 2km. At the end of this, a ladder sites in Australia. More than 300 marine allows one to descend 8 metres beneath species have been found here, such as the surface of the sea to admire the unde- leatherjackets (below), moonlighter fish rwater fauna and flora and the numerous (top right) and shoals of yellow-tailed scad corals which have attached themselves to (bottom right). The establishment of an artificial structure When the water current encounters a ver- can influence the surrounding underwater tical structure at the right depth, a zone ecosystem by locally concentrating food rich in plankton can be created, providing resources, provide habitat and spawning the primary food source for corals, inver- sites for a variety of marine life, and al- tebrates and small fish, which in turn at- tering current flows to create sheltered tracts larger, predatory species. areas. In the last years of WWII, German U-Boats prowled the East Coast of the United States, looking to sink merchant ves- sels shipping war supplies. More than 50 wrecks now line North Carolina’s coast, an area known as the ‘graveyard of the Atlan- tic’. Famous for world-class wreck diving, North Carolina has also gained recognition as North America’s premier shark diving destination. The wreck of the Aeolus, deli- berately sunk in 1988 as part of an artificial reef program, is one of many sites where sand tiger sharks congregate year-round. Shipwrecks, either deliberately or unin- tentionally submerged underwater, make for very interesting artificial reefs. Popular as diving destinations, they can generate economic benefits for coastal communi- ties; durable at certain depths, they pro- vide a surface for colonisation by colour- ful corals, sponges and anemones, which in turns attracts other marine life, such as fish and turtles. Scuba diver and great rockfish (Scorpaena scrofa) on Brioni Steamship wreck Croatia. Diver looking at Jewel Ane- mones (Corynactis australis) on the wreck of HMNZS Can- terbury, New Zealand. Yellow sponges (Aplysina caverni- cola) on Brioni Steamship wreck, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean The intentional deployment of artificial reefs enhances the production of reef associated species and mitigates their losses from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. The wrecks of the Nasi Yalodina in Fiji [left] and the Shakem in Grenada [below] both sank in 2001 and are now well-colo- nised with coral species. Both are popular diving destinations. Large boats with robust hulls can remain for decades on the ocean bed. On 3rd November 2007, the New Zealand government decommissioned a frigate of the royal navy, HMNZS Canterbury, and sunk it in the Bay of Islands to make an artificial reef. Within a few years, animal and plant life took possession of the 113 metre long wreck, which has now become one of the world’s most beautiful dive sites. This image shows jewel anemones (Corynactis haddoni), which have colo- nised the rails. Whole shoals of fish have invaded the interior of the HMNZS Canterbury. Across a depth of 32 metres, one may see jacks, snappers, john dories or demoiselle fish. These new style reefs provide small fish with shelter from predators. the accident, only 1 to 2% remains trapped in The Amoco Milford Haven is the largest wreck the rear part and it is estimated that 70% bur- in Europe. The enormous poop deck (a deck ned off during the fire, which lasted 70 hours. It that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear) seems that the blaze reached such high tempe- is crowded with shoals of anthias and bogues. ratures (900 degrees Celsius), that it somehow Access to explore the wreck, between a depth sterilised the metal structures and materials of 35 and 55 metres, is provided by the lift normally harmful to all living organisms. shaft which runs through all the decks. The supertanker Amoco Milford Haven, sister to limit damage to the coast. After breaking ship of the Amoco Cadiz, sank on 11 April 1991 in two, the forward part of the wreck sank to off Arenzano, near Genoa, after an explosion a depth of around 450m while the stern part On each level, open doors allow during the transfer of oil from one tank to ano- went down just off the small port of Arenzano, divers to enter the giant wreck and ther. The wreck was devastated by a huge fire at a depth of 82m. The wreck is enormous: 50m visit cabins, kitchens and toilets, which lasted several days. The Italian authori- high, 200m long and 50m wide. Of the 144,000 inhabited by lobsters and conger ties decided to let the oil burn at sea, in order tons of crude oil still in the ship at the time of eels. Now resting off the Cavalli Islands, the Rainbow Warrior was attacked by the Frech foreign intelligence services, on its way to protest against a planned French nuclear test in 1985. After the Green- peace ship was refloated and deemed irreparable, it was eventually re-sunk in 1987 in Matauri Bay, New Zealand, to become an underwater memorial and dive site. The Rainbow Warrior lies at a depth of 18- 26m. Various parameters come into play in order for a wreck to become a submarine garden: depth, water temperature, cur- rents and the composition of the sea bed. Artificial reefs alter local habitat by pro- viding hard substrate and complex verti- cal relief where typically none previously existed. Scuba diver exploring the wreck of aeroplane ‘B-24 Liberator’ Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Plane wreck in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, Indo-pacific Diver in the cockpit of a wreck of a WW II Corsair fighter plane off South-East Oahu, Hawaii.