Author : Sofia Castelló y Tickell
Illustrator: Aashti Miller

Human-made reefs first emerged in coastal communities thousands of years ago, when people created stone fishing traps and sea walls and occasionally fell victim to accidental shipwrecks. In the last century, they have grown in popularity, along with our ability to access and transform the marine environment. Though some human-made reefs come to rest on the seabed by accident, they are increasingly submerged deliberately to fulfil a range of purposes, including the creation or improvement of fishing grounds, management of coastal erosion, extraction of oil and gas, tourism opportunities, art, and conservation.