How 285 reef balls are reviving an ocean desert

In Newfoundland and Labrador's Placentia Bay, an artificial reef has begun to attract marine life, thanks to a project involving 285 concrete reef balls. The Marine Institute, in partnership with an oil company and the government, installed the reef balls to restore the seafloor affected by vessel activity. The artificial reef provides new habitat for marine organisms, such as cunners, crab, lobster, and sea urchins, which are now being observed by an underwater camera.

The camera takes hourly two-minute snapshots of the reef, which are then uploaded to an online library for researchers to study. The monitoring system, which includes sonar surveys, remotely operated vehicles, and divers, aims to track the development of the artificial reef over the next nine years. The project, led by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, is expected to provide valuable insights into how marine habitats recover and how artificial reefs can be used to protect oceans for future generations.