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Artificial Reef Resources

This page contains relevant resources including grey literature (e.g. government publications, student theses, etc.) and peer-reviewed literature that are related to the California Artificial Reef Program. The resources on this page are comprehensive but not exhaustive, and provide users with the source material used to inform and guide the program. Access resources by clicking on the section title to expand each section. 

Resources by Category

California Guides & Reviews

Guidelines, Plans & Reports

Selected Literature

  • Ambrose, R. F., & Anderson, T. W. (1990). Influence of an artificial reef on the surrounding infaunal community. Marine Biology, 107(1), 41–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313240
  • Anderson, T. W., Demartini, E. E., & Roberts, D. A. (1989). The Relationship Between Habitat Structure, Body Size and Distribution of Fishes at a Temperate Artificial Reef. Bulletin of Marine Science, 44(2), 681–697. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233598357
  • Aseltine-Neilson, D. A., Bernstein, B. B., Palmer-Zwahlen, M. L., Riege, L. E., & Smith, R. W. (1999). COMPARISONS OF TURF COMMUNITIES FROM PENDLETON ARTIFICIAL REEF, TORREY PINES ARTIFICIAL REEF, AND A NATURAL REEF USING MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES (pp. 37–57).
  • Bohnsack, J. A., & Sutherland, D. L. (1985). Artificial Reef Research: A Review with Recommendations for Future Priorities. Bulletin of Marine Science, 1(37), 11–39. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233528170
  • Bortone, S. A., & Otake, S. (2020). Modern Fisheries Engineering. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429328039
  • Brochier, T., Brehmer, P., Mbaye, A., Diop, M., Watanuki, N., Terashima, H., Kaplan, D., & Auger, P. (2021). Successful artificial reefs depend on getting the context right due to complex socio-bio-economic interactions. Scientific Reports 2021 11:1, 11(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95454-0
  • Carlisle, J. G., Turner, C. H., & Ebert, E. E. (1964). Artificial habitat in the marine environment. California Department of Fish and Game Fish Bulletin, 124, 1–93. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99n3p098
  • Carr, M., & Hixon, M. (1997). Artificial Reefs: The Importance of Comparisons with Natural Reefs. Fisheries, 22, 28–33. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8446(1997)022<0028:ARTIOC>2.0.CO;2
  • Easton, A., Komyakova, V., & Coughlin, T. (2024). Evaluating ecological risk in artificial habitat failure: A systematic review and risk assessment considering noise and light pollution in the marine environment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 107, 107560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107560
  • Grant, J. J., Wilson, K. C., Grover, A., & Togstad, H. A. (1982). Early Development of Pendleton Artificial Reef. Marine Fisheries Review, 44(6–7), 53–60.
  • Grove, R. S. (1982). Artificial Reefs as a Resource Management Option for Siting Coastal Power Stations in Southern California. Marine Fisheries Review, 44(6–7), 24–27.
  • Heery, E. C., Dafforn, K. A., Smith, J. A., Ushiama, S., & Mayer-Pinto, M. (2018). Not all artificial structures are created equal: Pilings linked to greater ecological and environmental change in sediment communities than seawalls. Marine Environmental Research, 142, 286–294. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.08.012
  • Langhamer, O. (2012). Artificial Reef Effect in relation to Offshore Renewable Energy Conversion: State of the Art. The Scientific World Journal, 2012, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/386713
  • Lima, J. S., Zalmon, I. R., & Love, M. (2019). Overview and trends of ecological and socioeconomic research on artificial reefs. Marine Environmental Research, 145, 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARENVRES.2019.01.010
  • Lipcius, R. N., Eggleston, D. B., Fodrie, F. J., van der Meer, J., Rose, K. A., Vasconcelos, R. P., & van de Wolfshaar, K. E. (2019). Modeling quantitative value of habitats for marine and estuarine populations. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6(JUN). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00280
  • Nowakowski, A. J., Canty, S. W. J., Bennett, N. J., Cox, C. E., Valdivia, A., Deichmann, J. L., Akre, T. S., Bonilla-Anariba, S. E., Costedoat, S., & McField, M. (2023). Co-benefits of marine protected areas for nature and people. Nature Sustainability 2023 6:10, 6(10), 1210–1218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01150-4
  • Palmer-Zwahlen, M. L., & Aseltine, D. A. (1994). Successional development of the turf community on a quarry rock artificial reef. Bulletin of Marine Science, 55(3), 902–923.
  • Paxton, A. B., Steward, D. N., Harrison, Z. H., & Taylor, J. C. (2022). Fitting ecological principles of artificial reefs into the ocean planning puzzle. Ecosphere, 13(2), e3924. https://doi.org/10.1002/ECS2.3924
  • Paxton, A. B., Steward, D. N., Mille, K. J., Renchen, J., Harrison, Z. H., Byrum, J. S., Brinton, C., Nelson, A., Simpson, E., Clarke, P. J., LaPorta, C., Barrett, P. D., Rousseau, M., Newton, D. C., Rigby, R. B., Williams, D. T., Shipley, J. B., Murakawa, P., Runde, B. J., … Taylor, J. C. (2024). Artificial reef footprint in the United States ocean. Nature Sustainability 2024 7:2, 7(2), 140–147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01258-7
  • Pondella, D. J., Claisse, J. T., & Williams, C. M. (2022). Theory, practice, and design criteria for utilizing artificial reefs to increase production of marine fishes. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 983253. https://doi.org/10.3389/FMARS.2022.983253/BIBTEX
  • Pondella, D. J., Piacenza, S. E., Claisse, J. T., Williams, C. M., Williams, J. P., Zellmer, A. J., & Caselle, J. E. (2019). Assessing drivers of rocky reef fish biomass density from the Southern California Bight. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 628, 125–140. https://doi.org/10.3354/MEPS13103
  • Ramm, L. A., Florisson, J. H., Watts, S. L., Becker, A., & Tweedley, J. R. (2021). Artificial reefs in the Anthropocene: a review of geographical and historical trends in their design, purpose, and monitoring. Bulletin of Marine Science, 97(4), 699–728. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2020.0046
  • Rouse, S., Porter, J., & Wilding, T. (2020). Artificial reef design affects benthic secondary productivity and provision of functional habitat. Ecology and Evolution, 10. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6047
  • Ruiz, G. M., Fofonoff, P. W., Steves, B., Foss, S. F., & Shiba, S. N. (2011). Marine invasion history and vector analysis of California: a hotspot for western North America. Diversity and Distributions, 17(2), 362–373. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1472-4642.2011.00742.X
  • Suzdaleva, A., & Beznosov, V. (2021). Artificial Reef: Status, Life Cycle, and Environmental Impact Assessment. Power Technology and Engineering, 55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10749-021-01397-x
  • Turner, C. H., Ebert, E. E., & Given, R. R. (1969). Man-Made Reef Ecology. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Bulletin, 146, 1–222. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2s55m47r#main
  • Vivier, B., Dauvin, J. C., Navon, M., Rusig, A. M., Mussio, I., Orvain, F., Boutouil, M., & Claquin, P. (2021). Marine artificial reefs, a meta-analysis of their design, objectives and effectiveness. Global Ecology and Conservation, 27, e01538. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GECCO.2021.E01538
  • Williams, J. P., Williams, C. M., Pondella, D. J., & Scholz, Z. M. (2022). Rebirth of a reef: As-built description and rapid returns from the Palos Verdes Reef Restoration Project. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 1010303. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1010303

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