Comparison of rockfish recruitment of nearshore artificial and natural reefs off the coast of central California

Abstract

The San Luis Obispo County Artificial Reef (SLOCAR) consists of four separate modules of concrete rubble, tribar, and quarry stone located off the coast of Central California. Different algal compositions between SLOCAR and natural reef sites (NRS) were one of the primary factors contributing to the initial differences in young of the year rockfish (YOY) densities observed between the artificial and natural reef sites. Higher YOY densities at SLOCAR during the first three years appear to have been, in part, attributable to the higher densities of the canopy forming kelp Nereocystis. As the algal community matured and Nereocystis densities declined at SLOCAR, YOY densities became more similar to the densities at NRS. -from Authors