Author(s): Phu Duc Tran, Tich Viet Pham, Luong Trong Nguyen, Hao Van Tran and Khanh Quoc Nguyen

Abstract: Fisheries play an important role in the local economic development of the province of Quang Nam, Vietnam. Recently, however, coastal resources have declined dramatically due to the pressure from the large numbers of inshore fishing vessels and other industrial operations in the inshore area. Artificial coral reefs have been used worldwide to mitigate human impacts in coastal ecosystems, and enhance resource reproduction and fisheries. This study constructed 500 artificial coral reef units and deployed them over 1,424,500 m2 in the waters of Quang Nam to provide an alternative habitat to restore natural resources. Results indicated that both fish frequency of appearance (FA) and relative abundance (RA) were higher in an artificial coral reef, relative to the deployment. Only 44 marine species were found in the absence of artificial coral reefs, while this increased to 78 species after 12 months of deployment. This study suggests that artificial coral reefs are able to restore natural resources overtime.

Pages: 128-133  |  1174 Views  404 Downloads

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