ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean Sea can be considered as typical in the use of arti‚cial reefs for ‚sh stock and ‚shery management. Arti‚cial reefs have been used over 40 years in the Mediterranean, mostly to deter illegal trawling in coastal areas and other sensitive habitats, which generally include important spawning and nursery areas for many commercial species. Additionally, arti‚cial reefs are used to reduce con¦icts between different ‚shing activities, mainly illegal trawling and small-scale ‚sheries operating with set gears. The objectives of most arti‚cial reef deployments in the Mediterranean are to enhance overexploited ‚sh stocks and improve small-scale ‚sheries, one of the most important activities for the coastal communities. At present, arti‚cial reefs have been constructed in ten Mediterranean bordering countries: Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Principality of Monaco, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey, excluding Portugal, which is located in the western part of the Gibraltar Strait. Research on scienti‚c, engineering, legal, and socioeconomic aspects has strongly contributed to the success of arti‚cial reefs around the Mediterranean and has led to drawing up speci‚c guidelines to assist countries in arti‚cial reef construction and avoid dumping.
