#artificial reefs

[joeexclamation]

Between 2001 and 2011 the MTA sank over 2,500 decommissioned subway cars in the Atlantic ocean. This had the effect of creating a vast thriving ecosystem for fish and other marine life.

[wachinyeya]

This startup recycles pet ashes into artificial reefs to save marine life. Human remains are next

Resting Reef turns a loved one’s loss into a memorial reef designed to restore marine biodiversity.

Jun 12, 2025

They use aquamation, an alkaline process for cremation, and combine a pet’s remains with crushed oyster shells and concrete, which is then molded into reef structures in which fish species can thrive.

Once a reef is ready, it’s anchored about 10 meters down into a seabed, where it will improve marine biodiversity, filter water, and prevent coastal erosion.

“Cemeteries should be places that reconnect us with nature and remind us that we’re part of a larger ecosystem,” Murillo Pérez told The Guardian. “It’s time for the death industry to change: we want to shift the industry from focusing on death to life and regenerate growth.”

Meaningful in its desire to reconnect earthly beings with the earth itself, the process also has a real impact on marine environments.

The startup began placing the pilot reefs in Bali, Indonesia last year. In their first project, they placed 24 memorial reefs for pet owners in the United States and U.K. 

After tracking its progress, they found that it attracted 84 fish species and achieved fish diversity “14 times greater than nearby degraded areas.”

“In just six months, the reefs are already covered with coralline and turf algae, laying the groundwork for future coral growth,” Resting Reef added in a social media post.

Part of the success comes from the materials mixed with the ashes: Oyster shells.

“Oyster reefs can help regenerate marine growth but 85% have been lost due to human activities,” Murillo Pérez explained. “We are using animal and human ashes to mimic those natural reefs.”

While all human ashes vary, most will primarily be made up of calcium phosphate, which Skajem said is “one of nature’s main fertilizers.” 

When used as part of the Resting Reef materials, this calcium phosphate helps various species attach to the surface of the artificial reef and grow. 

With this pilot under their belt, the founders say demand has been so great that Resting Reef is now opening up their process to human remains. Right now, they are working to secure licenses to restore degraded seabeds on the southern coast of England. 

“Just as we have a cemetery around the corner, in the future we’ll have memorial sites — marine sites — opening around the world,” Murillo Pérez told Fast Company.

It’s part of a growing trend toward “green burials,” with innovations like mushroom coffins and tree burial pods aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of traditional burials. The green burial industry is expected to surpass $1 billion by the end of 2030.

Traditional cremation releases an average of 500 pounds of carbon dioxide per person. In this case, however, Resting Reef’s aquamation process has a far smaller carbon footprint, with its end result going right back into the ocean, which has been shown to store carbon even better than trees.

Resting Reef currently offers two separate designs: A ribbed-textured reef structure ideal for species like oysters, and one full of crevices and tunnels similar to coral reefs for fish species. 

Prices start at £350 (or about $475 USD), and can go up to £2,250 (about $3,050 USD), depending on how private and customizable customers would like to get. The company’s website also notes that these are “early-bird” prices.

According to The Guardian, human memorials have an initial cost of £3,900 ($5,300 USD). 

For many, it’s hard to put a price on the comfort of knowing a loved one — furry or otherwise — has been sent off in peace and with purpose.

“It makes it easier for me knowing that his ashes will be doing a really good thing,” Lisa C., a horse owner who utilized the service, said in a testimonial.

Resting Reef also offers a private ceremony either before or after the memorial reef is placed underwater, allowing loved ones to process grief, find closure, and connect with loved ones. Their team leads a guided meditation and nature-related rituals and invites participants to share memories, if they feel compelled to do so.

“I’ve learned that grief and renewal are deeply connected — not just emotionally, but in a tangible, environmental way,” an anonymous testimonial states. 

“I’ve seen how loss can transform into something life-giving, how traditions and rituals provide comfort and meaning, and how true impact happens when a project is built with heart, respect, and community.”

[er-cryptid]

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[quotesfrommyreading]

Biologists in general, and the people who study platform wildlife in particular, often argue over whether a specific habitat feature (in this case an oil platform) actually increases the population of a species or whether it simply acts as a meeting place for creatures that would otherwise gather somewhere else.

Love began to think of ways to investigate whether platforms were aggregating or actually producing more fish. “When you see 150,000 baby bocaccio rockfish at a platform, it looks like a good nursery ground. But if you pull out the platform, would the drifting larvae find another reef to shelter in?”

If yes, then the platform would be superfluous as far as the rockfish are concerned.

Love and his team began looking at ocean currents. A collaborator created a computer model that could reflect prevailing weather patterns and added in the drifting bocaccio larvae. A lot of them hit the platform. Then Love’s team removed the platform from the model and watched the rockfish drift again. They assumed that bocaccio carried inshore would find their usual nursery sites and survive, while those that drifted out to sea—where there are few natural surfaces to provide shelter and food—would die. Over a three-year period, Love’s team concluded that 70 percent of the juveniles would die if the platform were removed.

“This doesn’t mean it’s true for all platforms, all species,” he cautions. “But it lends credence that maybe these platforms are pretty good nursery grounds. And if that’s true, then it’s very hard to argue that platforms are not helping to produce fish.”

  —  Oil Rigs Are a Refuge in a Dying Sea

[mollyencrypted]

I usually find the American tendency to slap the flag on everything kind of obnoxious, BUT there's a ship in Florida's Shipwreck Trail called the USS Duane which is now an artificial reef, and the locals make sure that the Stars and Stripes are always flying from the wreck, and the sight of the sunlight filtering through the water and through the fabric of this flag down on the sea floor coupled with the opening narration of the show I learned this from referring to all these sunken military vessels as 'recommissioned to protect marine life' (paraphrasing the terminology used to refer to the protectorate since I forgot the exact phrasing of that part) and continual use of that metaphor made me feel stuff. It has the same energy as that post about lost submarines being classified as 'still on patrol' and is honestly one of the most beautiful and surreal sights I have ever seen.

[todropscience]

ARTIFICIAL REEFS COULD HELP HABITAT CONNECTION

Designed artificial reefs are intended to provide food and refuge for marine fish, to enhance species diversity and abundance. Artificial reefs are not constructed from materials of opportunity (rubble, scuttled vessels), but rather built from steel or concrete to a design that incorporates vertical relief, void space and water movement. The design and structure of these artificial reefs are believed to enhance fisheries by providing food and refuge to fish communities in an area where the availability of suitable habitat is limited.

Australian researchers used acoustic telemetry to track the movements of 10 eastern fiddler rays (Trygonorrhina fasciata), 17 Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) and 18 bluespotted flathead (Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus) in relation to an artificial reef off the coast of Sydney. Fish tagged on the artificial reef showed a higher affinity to the site, compared to those tagged on natural reefs, Nevertheless, all three species moved frequently between the artificial and other nearby reefs, suggesting that artificial reefs may increase the connectivity between habitats. The moderate presence of these predators at the artificial reefs suggests that these species may contribute to some biomass production at this artificial reefs by incorporating this reef in their natural range. If the structure is well made, artificial reefs has the potential to enhance recreational fisheries and may alter the local distribution of predators and other species.

Reference (Open Access): Keller et al. 2017. Multispecies presence and connectivity around a designed artificial reef. Marine and Freshwater Research. 

[er-cryptid]

Reef Erosion Vocabulary

[er-cryptid]

Artificial Reefs

-- an artificial underwater structure built to mimic the characteristics of a natural reef

-- increase biodiversity

-- increase ecological stability

-- help reduce wave energy

-- reduce wave height

-- these recreate a coral ecosystem

-- placed in areas that do not have an appropriate substrate for larval attachment

-- many different materials used

-- provide a physical structure for coral, sponges, and algae to colonize

-- attracts fish species

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