Artificial Reefs in France: Advances in Applications and Evaluation of Performance

Artificial reefs in the coastal waters of France (33 sites) have been deployed for 46 years. Their principal aim is to enhance artisanal fishing. Newer purposes include creation of habitat to maintain or restore biodiversity and support scuba diving and recreational fishing. Their use to protect benthic communities from trawling is diminished. Significantly increased reef construction and research after 2000 includes 13 new reefs, expansion of six older sites, and 34 publications. Ecological research has emphasized fishes, especially species diversity and abundance. A growing database quantifies production of fish biomass that is correlated with physical structural complexity, comparable to levels at natural areas. Sessile plant and invertebrate communities are little studied. Perception of stakeholders toward artificial reefs is a notable area of new research. Recent reef development practices include a shift to intentional design of structure, increasingly based upon life histories of designated species and assemblages. Fabrication of reef modules uses concrete almost exclusively, with waste materials discontinued. Greater construction funding from the European Union has been accompanied by increased levels of monitoring. Our recommendations include development of economic research, and longer-term and more statistically rigorous ecological studies that address fishery production, trophic dynamics, recruitment and ecological connectivity of habitats.