Coral colonization and fish assemblage on an artificial reef off Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt

Artificial reefs were deployed as underwater scenery for recreational purpose and monitored for fishes and corals colonization during 2001, 2005 and 2010. The diversity of the newly coral colonies showed a clear trend of increase over years. The number of newly settled coral colonies increased significantly from 1897 in year 2005 to 2040 colonies in year 2010. The fish abundance in the area of the artificial reef increased from 120 in year 2001 to 17403 individuals in year 2010. The fish diversity increased from 14 to 112 species between years 2001 and 2010. The successful colonization of corals and fishes on the artificial reefs supports the approach of installing artificial reefs to be an effective rehabilitation and conservation method to reduce the potential impact of recreational activities on the Egyptian natural reefs.