Large cubes that are three meters high and wide are being dropped into the waters off the coast of southeastern China.
But what for?
These man-made structures will soon become new homes for fish.
Large Cubes of 3 meters high and wide are being dropped into the waters off the coast of southeastern China. /CGTN photo
The "Artificial Reef Project" in southeastern China’s Fujian Province is part of a national project to build a marine ecological pasture.
Ding Fuhong is an artificial reef project manager at CCCC Shanghai Dredging Co., LTD. He said that about a thousand man-made reefs will be dropped in the water near Nanri Island by the end of September.
Submerged shipwrecks are the most common form of artificial reefs. Fish also find homes in oil and gas platforms, bridges, lighthouses, and other offshore structures. Materials used to construct the reefs include rocks, cinder blocks and even wood and old tires.
With much of the world's marine life under threat from over-fishing, constructing artificial reefs has proven to be effective, giving fish a new place to live and reproduce.