Guidelines for Marine Artificial Reef Materials, Second Edition

• Vessels, due to high vertical profile, attract both pelagic and demersal fishes. Vertical
surfaces produce upwelling conditions, current shadows, and other current speed and
direction alterations that are attractive to schooling forage fishes, which in turn attract
species of commercial and recreational importance, resulting in increased catch rates for
fishermen.
• Vessels, like other artificial reef material, can augment benthic structure which locally
increases shelter opportunities and reef fish carrying capacity in locations where natural
structure is sparse, or create structure which is more preferable or attractive to certain fish
species than locally less complex hard bottom (Barnette 2001).
• Steel-hulled vessel reefs that are not well publicized, located far offshore, or otherwise
difficult to access for fishing and diving because of depth and currents may, if properly sited,
provide important refuge for reef fish species. Such vessels can provide important
aggregation, shelter, and residence sites for reef fish species that have been traditionally
over-fished such as warsaw, black, goliath grouper, red snapper, amberjack, and others.
• Vessels under certain conditions may provide habitat for spawning aggregations of some
managed reef fishes [e.g. greater amberjacks on wrecks off Broward County (SE Florida],
goliath grouper on wrecks off SW Florida.
• Vessels may provide extensive surface area for epibenthic colonization. This colonization
results in the enhancement of lower trophic level biomass at the vessel site.
• Under some circumstances, depending on location and season, some vessels may hold
greater abundances and higher biomass of fish species, including some recreationally
important species (i.e. gray snapper), than nearby natural reefs (Spieler 2001, Palm Beach
County DERM 2001).
• Vessels may reduce anchor damage and other physical damage by directing a proportion of
the reef users away from nearby natural reefs. In Southeast Florida, about 1/3 of the fishing
use is on artificial reefs, with many of these reefs vessels; 2/3 of the reef use is on natural
reefs (Hazen and Sawyer Associates 2001). Similarly, vessels provide diving alternatives to
natural reef sites where physical damage to natural reefs through anchor damage, grounding,
handling, crawling on, specimen collecting, and spear fishing have accelerated deterioration
of natural reefs and their associated fauna.
• Sinking a vessel often creates a media event, providing reef managers with promotional
opportunities for their reef programs.
• Sinking steel-hulled vessels as artificial reefs, properly cleaned and under appropriate
conditions may assist other agencies and programs (permanent removal of drug seized
vessels from the drug trade, elimination of derelict vessels that have become navigation or
safety hazards, etc.).
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