SANYA, April 9. /TASS/. The Chinese city of Sanya will install 870 new artificial reefs in coastal waters to improve the ocean environment, Xinhua announced on Thursday.
In order to form artificial reefs, various objects with a total volume of 30,000 cubic meters will be placed in the water area of the resort city. Groups of objects placed on the bottom of the ocean will become a new habitat for marine organisms and fish and will increase their population in the area. The project was organized by the University of Hainan and the Tourism Zone Administration of Wuzhizhou Island, located near Sanya.
By the end of 2020, 1,526 artificial coral reefs had been created in the waters around Wuzhizhou Island, in addition, 21 ships were sunk there and a stone embankment made of volcanic rocks was made at the bottom. "Thanks to the reefs, we have restored the marine ecosystem, and the corals [in the water area] are growing well," said Ding Feng, deputy head of the Wuzhizhou resort base. The fish population in this area has increased by 2-3 times since 2010, the agency said.
An artificial reef is a specially created or recycled object that is placed on the ocean bottom so that it becomes a "home" for marine life. They can be fragments of concrete structures, pipes, cinder blocks or vehicles unsuitable for further use.
Hainan pays special attention to the protection of the island's ecosystem. The province regularly equips scientific deep-sea expeditions to collect data on the oceanic environment and biodiversity of the South China Sea.