Tanya Ribakoff B.S. Eckerd College Reef Balls. Half circle shaped concrete balls with different size holes throughout Set on seafloor Submerged at high.

Tanya RibakoffB.S. Eckerd College

Reef Balls

Reef Balls

• Half circle shaped concrete balls with different size holes throughout

• Set on seafloor• Submerged at high tide, exposed at low tide• Create new artificial habitats for marine life• Require permits upon deployment

depending on location- can become property of government (limited liability)

Importance

• Increase surface area for colonization

• Firm, stable attachment for substrate

• Reduce energy demands

• Create Habitat diversity

• Increased turbulence creates feeding area

• Increase biomass for food chain

• Refuge from predators

Projects

• www.reefball.org • Reef balls in 55+ countries with

3,000 projects in the last 12 years

Including: Artifical reefs Estuary restoration Red mangrove planting Oyster reef creation Coral propagation Beach erosion prevention Memorial sites

• Size of a basketball to 6000 lbs.

• Made from concrete with a pH similar to seawater poured into different sized fiberglass molds

• Can last over 500 years

• Unique because they can be floated to site

Uses:

• Fishing• Diving• Docks• Channel markers• Snorkeling• Freshwater lakes

• Juvenile fish habitats

• Lobster habitats• Marine reserves• Hurricane

threatened areas• Live rock culture

MacDill Airforce Base Submerged Reef Ball Breakwater Project

• Locally, in 2004, Tampa Bay Watch installed 910 oyster domes, 28 tons clean washed 3” loose oyster shells, and 5,000 salt marsh grasses along 800 ft. of the SE shoreline of MacDill AFB

• Attempted to restore the wave beaten shoreline, reduce erosion, and promote new habitats

After a few weeks, 100% cover

Oyster growth protects shoreline and filters

seawater

Ethical Debate

• What will happen during hurricanes?• How will reef balls influence currents?• Are reef balls and other artificial reef

products appropriate for a public resource? Or are we polluting our oceans with landfill waste?

Referenceshttp://www.reefball.org

http://www.reefball.org/album/florida/WestCoast/pinellascounty/macdillairforcebaseproject/index.html

http://www.ecoclub.com/news/062/interview.html