An effectiveness of artificial coral reefs in the restoration of marine living resources

Marine fisheries have an important role in the local social-economic development of Vietnamese coastal communities. However, commercial stocks have been collapsible during the past 20 years due to the pressure from large numbers of inshore fishing vessels and other industrial operations in the coastal areas. Artificial coral reefs (ACRs) have been broadly used to mitigate human impacts in coastal ecosystems, and enhance resource reproduction and fisheries. In this study we constructed 500 cylindrical-shaped ACRs and deployed them over 1.5 km 2 in the waters of Quang Nam to provide an alternative habitat to recover natural resources. We monitored fish assemblages associated with ACRs using SCUBA diving methods and trammel nets during a 2-year period. Results indicated that both the number of species and individuals increased with time since ACRs deployment. Only 44 marine species were found in the absence of ACRs, increasing as much as 193 species after 1 year deployment, and 237 species after 2 years deployment. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) and weight per unit effort (WPUE) for all species caught by trammel nets that were used to survey, were also associated with increasing time of deployment. This study suggests that ACRs are viable to restore inshore natural resources.