An Experimental Investigation Of The Use Of Artificial Reefs To Mitigate The Loss Of Giant Kelp Forest Habitat

For centuries, artificial reefs have been used to enhance fishing, and that remains a major goal of most reefs built today. Over the past few decades their role has expanded to include resource enhancement (usually for reef communities) and to provide recreational opportunities. California has been a leader in artificial reef construction, building its first designed reefs in the 1950s and having a particularly active program in the 1980s. This 144-page case study summarizes the five-year experimental phase of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's (SONGS) artificial reef project whose overall goal is compensation for the loss of kelp bed resources impacted by the station's operation. These include giant kelp, understory algae, invertebrates and fishes. The book includes a brief history of the mitigation project and components, details of its administration, and artificial reef design recommendations, based on the coauthor's findings. Grant no. NA04OAR4170038