Engineering and ecology meet for the deployment of large-scale artificial reef structures in both estuarine and offshore environments

Offshore and Estuarine Artificial Reefs

Reefs are one of the most important and fragile ecological zones on the planet. They are the habitat for nearly every kind of marine life, they support fisheries and, more recently, recreational diving. Reefs are also under threat from a variety of forces including climate change. However, we can support reef formation by providing the means for artificial reefs to form. But it’s not as simple as sinking a large structure in the ocean, or an estuary.

For this exciting and fascinating project, we were engaged by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries - Fisheries to help with the location selection, constraints mapping, field investigations and approvals for the deployment of large-scale artificial reef structures.

This required our team’s highly specialised knowledge and experience of artificial reef ecology to prepare detailed environmental assessments required for reef deployment. These include—ecological field investigations covering fish, water and sediment quality, seafloor acoustic surveys, risk and impact assessments, including threatened species assessment, environmental management plan, and artificial reef user guidelines. We’re thrilled to play our part on a project of this scope to enhance the environment and economic opportunities.