Panhandle studying artificial reefs

Among the projects funded by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the deployment of artificial reefs along Florida’s Panhandle as part of an effort to restore crucial habitats for fish and other marine animals. University of West Florida researchers are part of a team conducting a study to see how effective those reefs are in creating a productive ecosystem that will attract fish and help revitalize the commercial fisheries affected by the spill. Dr. Jane Caffrey, a professor at the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, Dr. Will Patterson, a professor at the University of Florida, and Florian Cesbron, a post-doctoral research associate at UWF, are performing the study. A grant from the Center for Research and Economic Opportunity at UWF funded Cesbron’s work. In November 2015, UWF researchers began surveying conditions around the areas where the reefs would be placed. The Orange Beach-based company Walter Marine built and then deployed the six reefs in September 2016. Within just a few weeks, fish started congregating around the structures, Caffrey said. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 02/11/17)