{"id":19286,"date":"2026-09-02T09:31:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T09:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=19286"},"modified":"2026-09-02T09:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T09:31:30","slug":"in-1998-researchers-built-12-reefs-off-miami-beach-using-limestone-concrete-and-concrete-mixed-with-waste-tyre-chips-divers-later-counted-97826-fish-from-146-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=19286","title":{"rendered":"In 1998, researchers built 12 reefs off Miami Beach using limestone, concrete and concrete mixed with waste tyre chips; divers later counted 97,826 fish from 146 species"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133701795,imgsize-99829,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg\" alt=\"In 1998, researchers built 12 reefs off Miami Beach using limestone, concrete and concrete mixed with waste tyre chips; divers later counted 97,826 fish from 146 species\" title=\"A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami)\">A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 1998, researchers put 12 artificial reefs off Miami Beach to see how different materials would affect marine life. Over the next three years, divers recorded 97,826 fish from 146 species around the reefs.<!-- --> The study was published in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/nsuworks.nova.edu\/occ_facarticles\/136\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Aquatic Living Resources.<\/a><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>According to the details of the study reported by Science Direct, the reefs are made from limestone, concrete-gravel aggregate and concrete containing waste tyre chips and were deployed on June 18, 1998, in about 7 metres of water. They were arranged in two lines, with six reefs in each line, and each reef was about 100 metres from the next. The study continued until February 2001, with SCUBA divers checking the reefs every two months.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>During these surveys, the divers recorded fish species, the number of fish and their lengths. They also counted spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus. By the end of the study, 97,826 fish belonging to 146 species were recorded.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The researchers also compared fish abundance, species richness, fish biomass and spiny lobster abundance across the three reef types.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The artificial reefs<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>Four of the 12 reefs were made from limestone quarry boulders. Each consisted of a pile of 50 boulders. Limestone was chosen because it is strong, stable and resistant to erosion. Its rough surface can also provide space for marine plants and animals to attach.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Another four reefs were made from concrete-gravel aggregate. These reefs used tetrahedron-shaped modules, with 25 modules measuring 1.5 metres along each edge and another 25 measuring 1.2 metres along each edge.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The remaining four reefs used concrete-tire aggregate. This material replaced part of the gravel in concrete with chips made from waste automobile tyres. <!-- -->The researchers noted that this design could avoid some of the stability problems associated with reefs made from whole tyres, while leaving a mostly concrete surface for marine organisms.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Whole used tyres had already been used widely in artificial reefs, but they could become mobile underwater if they were not properly secured and weighted. Moving tyres could scrape natural seabed areas. The researchers also noted that tyres were less effective than concrete or natural materials at attracting some invertebrates.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/>The concrete-tire material was therefore studied as a possible alternative. Earlier research had compared smaller concrete-tire and concrete-gravel reefs and found no difference in fish species, total fish abundance or invertebrate preference.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Reef assemblage\" msid=\"133701691\" imgsize=\"63906\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Boulder reefs aredepicted by filled circles, concrete-gravel reefs by patterned circles, andconcrete-tire reefs by open circles.\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-63906,msid-133701691\/reef-assemblage.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Boulder reefs aredepicted by filled circles, concrete-gravel reefs by patterned circles, andconcrete-tire reefs by open circles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Fish numbers varied by season<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>The research found no significant difference in total fish abundance among the three types of reefs. They also found no significant difference in fish biomass or spiny lobster abundance between the reef materials.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>Fish species richness also did not show a significant difference based on the construction material. A statistical analysis of the fish communities did not show that fish assemblages were grouped according to whether the reefs were made from limestone, concrete-gravel or concrete-tire aggregate.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>However, the number and variety of fish changed with the seasons. Fish abundance and species richness were highest during the summer and lowest during the winter. <!-- -->The researchers said this seasonal pattern was consistent with other local studies.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>The total number of species recorded in this research was 146. That was higher than the 105 species recorded in an earlier study by Gilliam and colleagues. Researchers said several factors could explain the difference, including location, recruitment and currents.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Artificial reefs increased local fish<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>The study also compared fish counts from the reef locations before the artificial reefs were installed with counts taken two years after deployment. <!-- -->The researchers compared the sites with nearby hard-bottom areas and a jetty.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>Those comparisons showed that the artificial reefs increased both fish abundance and species richness in the local area.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/>The researchers had designed the experiment to make the three reef types as comparable as possible. All 12 reefs were placed in the same general area and at the same depth. This helped reduce the effect of other factors that can influence which animals gather around artificial reefs.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>The study noted that many factors can affect fish and other marine communities around artificial reefs. These include reef design, depth, latitude, location and salinity. By keeping several of these conditions consistent, the researchers could make a clearer comparison between the construction materials.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>The reefs were not exactly identical in size. Their maximum height ranged from 1.6 to 2.6 metres, with an average of about 2.1 metres. <!-- -->Their maximum circumference ranged from 19.7 to 29.9 metres, with an average of about 24.2 metres.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/>Overall, the study found that limestone, concrete-gravel aggregate and concrete-tire aggregate supported comparable fish communities when used in similarly placed artificial reefs. While the material itself did not produce a significant difference in total fish numbers, biomass or species composition, the artificial reefs as a whole were associated with higher local fish abundance and species richness after deployment.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/science\/in-1998-researchers-built-12-reefs-off-miami-beach-using-limestone-concrete-and-concrete-mixed-with-waste-tyre-chips-divers-later-counted-97826-fish-from-146-species\/articleshow\/133700538.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami) In 1998, researchers put 12 artificial reefs off Miami Beach to see how different materials would affect marine life. Over the next three years, divers recorded 97,826 fish from 146 species around the reefs. The study was published in the journal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami) In 1998, researchers put 12 artificial reefs off Miami Beach to see how different materials would affect marine life. Over the next three years, divers recorded 97,826 fish from 146 species around the reefs. The study was published in the journal [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-hybrid-artificial-reef-structure-representational-photo-from-a-2023-study-university-of-miami.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}