{"id":128901,"date":"2021-10-12T16:23:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T23:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/successful-artificial-reefs-depend-on-getting-the-context-right-due-to-complex-socio-bio-economic-interactions"},"modified":"2021-10-12T16:23:26","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T23:23:26","slug":"successful-artificial-reefs-depend-on-getting-the-context-right-due-to-complex-socio-bio-economic-interactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/successful-artificial-reefs-depend-on-getting-the-context-right-due-to-complex-socio-bio-economic-interactions","title":{"rendered":"Successful artificial reefs depend on getting the context right due to complex socio-bio-economic interactions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"display: block; margin: 0 auto; width: 100%; aspect-ratio: 4\/3; object-fit: contain;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yQqFU2P4XZU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope;\n   picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Coastal artisanal fisheries, particularly those in developing countries, are facing a global crisis of overexploitation<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 1\" title=\"Ye, Y. & Gutierrez, N. L. Ending fishery overexploitation by expanding from local successes to globalized solutions. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 1 1&ndash;5 (2017).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR1\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e680\">1<\/a><\/sup>. Artificial reefs (ARs), or human\u2013made reefs<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 2\" title=\"Pitcher, T. J. & Seaman, W. Jr. Petrarch\u2019s Principle: how protected human-made reefs can help the reconstruction of fisheries and marine ecosystems. Fish Fish. 1 73&ndash;81 (2000).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR2\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e684\">2<\/a><\/sup>, have been widely advocated by governmental and non-governmental conservation and management organizations for addressing these issues. Industries, particularly oil and gas, seeking to avoid the costs of removal or conventional disposal of used materials are often major advocates for deploying ARs. Yet, major questions remain regarding the success of such efforts in the context of weak governance and poorly sustained international investment in AR development projects. There is frequently confusion over whether or not ARs should be fishing sites and the precise goals of constructing such ARs are often unclear, making difficult to evaluate their successfulness<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 3\" title=\"Becker, A., Taylor, M. D., Folpp, H. & Lowry, M. B. Managing the development of artificial reef systems: The need for quantitative goals. Fish Fish. 19 740&ndash;752 (2018).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR3\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e688\">3<\/a><\/sup>. Over the last 40 years, both failures and success AR implementation programs have been reported<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 4\" title=\"Bohnsack, J. A. & Sutherland, D. L. Artificial reef research: A review with recommendations for future priorities. Bull. Mar. Sci. 37 11&ndash;39 (1985).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR4\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e692\">4<\/a>,<a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 5\" title=\"Collins, K. J., Jensen, A. C., Mallinson, J. J., Roenelle, V. & Smith, I. P. Environmental impact assessment of a scrap tyre artificial reef. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 59 S243&ndash;S249 (2002).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR5\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e695\">5<\/a><\/sup>. The main point of the present work is to underline the importance of the governance issue and address social and management factors on AR \u201csuccess\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>To improve fishery yields, it has been recommended that ARs must be no-take areas (<i>e.g<\/i>.,<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 2\" title=\"Pitcher, T. J. & Seaman, W. Jr. Petrarch\u2019s Principle: how protected human-made reefs can help the reconstruction of fisheries and marine ecosystems. Fish Fish. 1 73&ndash;81 (2000).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR2\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e705\">2<\/a><\/sup>). Yet, most ARs were historically delineated as sites for fishing<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 4\" title=\"Bohnsack, J. A. & Sutherland, D. L. Artificial reef research: A review with recommendations for future priorities. Bull. Mar. Sci. 37 11&ndash;39 (1985).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR4\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e709\">4<\/a><\/sup>, and were rarely implemented at large scales in\/for no-take zones, even in countries with centuries of experience in constructing ARs, such as Japan. In Japan, fishery authorities and local fishers use ARs to promote sustainable catches and to establish nursery grounds of target species<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 6\" title=\"Ito, Y. Artificial reef function in fishing grounds off Japan. in Artificial reefs in fisheries management (eds. Bortone, S. T. et al.) 239&ndash;264 (CRC Press, 2011).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR6\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e713\">6<\/a><\/sup>. However, fishery authorities and local fishery cooperatives in Japan have extensive management authority over ARs. For example, fishing around ARs is usually limited to hook and line techniques, with net fishing rarely being permitted in areas where risk of entanglement in ARs is high. Furthermore, during spawning, fishing gear and fishing season are often restricted around ARs in Japan. These practices are recognized for their effectiveness in maintaining good fishing performance and marine conservation in Japan and elsewhere where they have been implemented<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 7\" title=\"Polovina, J. J. & Sakai, I. Impacts of artificial reefs on fishery production in Shimamaki, Japan. Bull. Mar. Sci. 44 997&ndash;1003 (1989).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR7\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e717\">7<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p>Attempts to transpose ARs to developing countries have, however, frequently ended in failure<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 8\" title=\"Lee, M. O., Otake, S. & Kim, J. K. Transition of artificial reefs (ARs) research and its prospects. Ocean Coast. Manag. 154 55&ndash;65 (2018).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR8\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e724\">8<\/a><\/sup>, particularly when project funding comes to an end<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 9\" title=\"Watanuki, N. & Gonzales, B. J. The potential of artificial reefs as fisheries management tools in developing countries. Bull. Mar. Sci. 78 9&ndash;19 (2006).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR9\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e728\">9<\/a><\/sup>. Thus, it is important to provide recommendations to improve the sustainability of AR deployments and realize their biodiversity conservation and fisheries management goals. This is particularly important in developing countries, which are often characterized by poor governance. For fisheries scientists and marine ecologists, the effectiveness of ARs is primarily quantified by surveying fish populations on ARs. In particular, the question of whether ARs facilitate the \u201cproduction\u201d of new fish or whether they only attract the surrounding fish remains under debate<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" title=\"Bortone, S. A. Resolving the attraction-production dilemma in artificial reef research: Some Yeas and Nays. Fisheries 23 6&ndash;10 (1998).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR10\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e732\">10<\/a>,<a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" title=\"Brickhill, M. J., Lee, S. Y. & Connolly, R. M. Fishes associated with artificial reefs: attributing changes to attraction or production using novel approaches. J. Fish Biol. 67 53&ndash;71 (2005).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR11\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e732_1\">11<\/a>,<a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 12\" title=\"Brehmer, P. et al. New applications of hydroacoustic methods for monitoring shallow water aquatic ecosystems: The case of mussel culture grounds. Aquat. Living Resour. 16 333&ndash;338 (2003).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR12\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e735\">12<\/a><\/sup>. Few studies have documented how ARs are managed, and the impacts of such management<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 8\" title=\"Lee, M. O., Otake, S. & Kim, J. K. Transition of artificial reefs (ARs) research and its prospects. Ocean Coast. Manag. 154 55&ndash;65 (2018).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR8\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e739\">8<\/a>,<a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 13\" title=\"Claudet, J. & Pelletier, D. Marine protected areas and artificial reefs: A review of the interactions between management and scientific studies. Aquat. Living Resour. 17 129&ndash;138 (2004).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR13\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e742\">13<\/a><\/sup>, despite the key importance of protecting no-take ARs from illegal fishing being repeatedly highlighted<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 2\" title=\"Pitcher, T. J. & Seaman, W. Jr. Petrarch\u2019s Principle: how protected human-made reefs can help the reconstruction of fisheries and marine ecosystems. Fish Fish. 1 73&ndash;81 (2000).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR2\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e746\">2<\/a><\/sup>. Mathematical models, implemented to set the optimal AR volume to maximize catches, suggest that, although attraction and production effects can modulate the response, the effect of ARs on fisheries mostly depends on governance options and efficiency<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 14\" title=\"Brochier, T. et al. Implementation of artificial habitats: Inside or outside the marine protected areas? Insights from a mathematical approach. Ecol. Model. 297 98&ndash;106 (2015).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR14\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e751\">14<\/a><\/sup>. Existing models show that fishing exclusively on ARs has consistently negative impacts on the equilibrium of catches. In comparison, ARs can have negative or positive impacts on catches when fishing on areas surrounding them, as a function of the magnitude of the AR attraction effect<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 14\" title=\"Brochier, T. et al. Implementation of artificial habitats: Inside or outside the marine protected areas? Insights from a mathematical approach. Ecol. Model. 297 98&ndash;106 (2015).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR14\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e755\">14<\/a><\/sup>. Whether or not ARs are managed as no-take areas influences these phenomena. For instance, on unmanaged ARs, overexploitation risk increases, as fish become more accessible to fishing fleets. In comparison, when fishing is banned on ARs, the fish biomass concentrated near the AR rises, leading to a \u201cspill-over\u201d effect that enhances catch at equilibrium in adjacent fishing areas<sup><a data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 15\" title=\"Lorenzo, M. D., Guidetti, P., Franco, A. D., Cal\u00f2, A. & Claudet, J. Assessing spillover from marine protected areas and its drivers: A meta-analytical approach. Fish Fish. 21, 906&ndash;915 (2020).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-95454-0#ref-CR15\" id=\"ref-link-section-d21819461e759\">15<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coastal artisanal fisheries, particularly those in developing countries, are facing a global crisis of overexploitation1. Artificial reefs (ARs), or human\u2013made reefs2, have been widely advocated by governmental and non-governmental conservation and management organizations for addressing these issues. Industries, particularly oil and gas, seeking to avoid the costs of removal or conventional disposal of used materials [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":630,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1498,39,1759,2229,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-augmented-reality","category-economics","category-governance","category-mathematics","category-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128901\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}