ABSTRACT
Arti‚cial reefs have been developed worldwide over the last few decades, generally as a response to different problems concerning coastal activities, marine ecosystems, and ‚sheries. In the Algarve (southern Portugal), the use of arti‚cial reefs was a response to problems related with ‚sheries management, as traditional management measures were insuf‚cient in guaranteeing small-scale ‚sheries sustainability. Here, we describe the pilot project started in 1990 with the deployment of two arti‚cial reefs, which was the baseline for the deployment of large arti‚cial reef complexes in the coastal waters. By 2011, the Algarve arti‚cial reef complexes will contain more than 21,500 modules, occupying a total area of 45 km2, with an estimated area of in¦uence of 70 km2. The main results and achievements of a number of multidisciplinary studies are brie¦y presented, highlighting the usefulness of the arti‚cial reefs on small-scale ‚sheries management. These summaries include different aspects of reef research that have been carried out during the last 20 years, namely:
CONTENTS
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 221 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 222
Artisanal Fisheries in the Algarve ............................................................................................ 222 The Arti‚cial Reef Pilot Project ............................................................................................... 223 The Algarve Arti‚cial Reef Program .......................................................................................224
