Building artificial reefs to improve the ecosystem

This reef project is currently the only one of its kind in the Baltic Sea to have provided data over such a long time period.

Fish populations in the Baltic Sea have been fluctuating and, in the worst cases decreasing since the 1990s. One of the reasons is habitat degradation. The German Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Research Centre for Agriculture and Fisheries launched a study to look into the technical feasibility of developing artificial reefs and whether they could be beneficial to local fisheries. Today, two artificial reefs have been built and the results are promising.

Both reefs consist of natural rocks and various underwater structures made of concrete reef cones, tetrapods and concrete rings. Additionally, mesh fabrics and lines act as substrates on which seaweed, mussels and other benthic organisms can grow. They provide large-scale artificial underwater habitats that create zones for recruitment, growth and rest for the fish species present in the area. Ongoing scientific investigations have proved that the fishing value of the sea areas around the reefs has increased. The reefs provide shelter and feeding grounds for many species. To achieve a measurable benefit for local fisheries, however, more reefs would have to be established in suitable areas along the coast.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Graphical Data Processing in Rostock will take over maintenance and further investigations of the reef areas and are looking into adding more reef areas to further investigate their influence on the marine environment as well as aquaculture options in and around reef structures.