New project to improve the seabed off the Sitges coast

Sitges (CNA).- The seabed of Garraf in the south of Barcelona is now home to 24 artificial reefs devised to restore marine biodiversity and promote the reproduction of species. The new marine park aims to simulate deep rocky reefs from the sea and each module has holes designed to accommodate different species.
This pilot project also seeks to promote traditional fishing methods and it is hoped that the initiative will turn into a tourist attraction due to the marine fauna it expects to generate. Project leaders say results will not take long and cuttlefish, squids and lobsters are just some species which may appear soon.

Each reef weighs 9 tons and is about two metres high. They have been placed at a depth of about 19 feet in front of the beach at Sitges, about 30 kilometres south of Barcelona. The NGO Acciónatura is leading the project, accompanied by a management plan for the entire coastal area.