Multipurpose Artificial Reefs
Multipurpose Artificial Reefs can be designed to provide a range of functions and benefits to the community and environment.
Additional information on our artificial reef services for enhancing fish stocks or repairing damaged reefs can be found at: 'Fisheries Enhancement' and 'Reef Restoration'.
>> Download our Tech Note: Designing Artificial Reefs and Cities - the shared principles
>> Download our Tech Note: ADAM - the four essential stages in successful artificial reef design
Photo: reef units loaded on barge in Bahrain for construction of commercial fishing reefs. SOI partnered with local company Reef Arabia to design and construct ten reefs around Bahrain, the first initiative of its kind in the Arabian Gulf. SOI provided three unique reef unit designs for the project that are tailored to the local species and culture.
Applications for Multipurpose Artificial Reefs
Multipurpose Artificial Reefs can be constructed to protect eroding beaches of resorts while providing a recreational snorkelling asset, or they can be used to enhance local fish stocks while offsetting loss of habitat due to development.
Our team has in depth experience in designing and building artificial reefs in the US, Middle East, Asia, Australia, Mediterranean and Caribbean.
We provide customised services to meet your needs, as well as:
- Multipurpose breakwaters for resort beach protection and recreation
- Design and construct
- Unique reefs for tourist submarines
- Underwater sculpture parks
- Reefs made from recycled materials
Mini multipurpose breakwater designed to support a healthy oyster population which will help increase biodiversity, increase juvenile fish habitat, reduce suspended solids and reduce boat wash that is eroding estuary banks.
Multipurpose artificial reef in the Grand Cayman (above photo) and Antigua (below photo). This type of breakwater is ideal for resort areas as it is visually less distracting than large rock seawalls, provides a snorkeling and diving attraction, enhances biodiversity and maintains a healthy flow of water to the back lagoon area.
The breakwater can be designed to help offset damage to natural reefs (and/or loss of biodiversity) and this may include relocation of coral from dredge areas to the the breakwater where we use a range of techniques we have developed to secure the coral to the concrete modules.
Contact us to discuss your artificial reef project.
In the News
We have a winner!
Sustainable Ocean Innovation Award 2012
...and the award goes to...GhostNets Australia for their work in northern Australia tackling the serious problem of lost fishing nets called 'ghost nets'.
The group has found ghost nets measuring 10km long and recorded a myriad of marine species that get entangled as the nets drift along with the currents. The litany of marine casualties include turtles, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, crocodiles, rays and of course, multitudes of fish. The destruction caused by ghost nets continues as they near shore, often wrapping themselves around delicate coral reefs and coastal mangrove systems.
"The GhostNets Australia program is a fantastic example of innovation in action. Solving our environmental problems needs a healthy dose of lateral thinking in order to first see a solution and then brainstorm a way to make it happen" said David Lennon, director of Sustainable Oceans International.
>>Read the media release here: Sustainable Ocean Innovation Award 2012
878 trees to save Orang Utans
SOI through the fantastic giving portal Buy 1 Give 1 (www.b1g1.com) donates a percentage of every project to planting trees in Borneo for Orang Utan habitat.
We just purchased 100 more trees today as part of our Bahrain project with Reef Arabia. That makes 878 in total we've added to the planet rather than taken away from the planet.
Why not join us and include B1G1 in your business!
SOI constructs first 'cod house' to help save Murray cod
Murray cod are Australia's largest freshwater fish and overfishing and loss of essential habitat has decimated their numbers. SOI has been contracted to design and construct a concrete unit to help restore some of the essential breeding habitat the fish require. Sidescan image by ACT Government.
SOI wins 2 Year Contract - Bahrain
SOI and partner Reef Arabia have won a two year contract to design, build and monitor 10 artificial reefs around Bahrain.
>>Further details and photos of deployment of first reef in Bahrain
>>Bahrain newspaper article in Arabic
Four reefs have been deployed thus far. This is the first project of its kind to be constructed in the Arabian Gulf and the first to use custom reef units (designed by SOI) specifically for the local species.
SOI Completes Coral Mitigation Plan for New Doha Port
SOI conducted the necessary surveys and prepared the coral mitigation plans for the New Doha Port construction. This included accurate coral surveys to quantify the size, type and number of corals within the imperiled and threatened zones, and detailed recommendations on relocation methodology, relocation sites and compensatory artificial reefs to offset loss of productive reef structure.
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