From February to April 2010, the NMDC will be hosting an exhibition of underwater photography, presented by the Western Australian Underwater Photographic Society.
The exhibition, Artificial Reefs: Oases for Marine Life? aims to show how readily man-made structures in the marine environment are colonised by marine life.
Man-made structures may include purpose built artificial reefs designed to assist in coastal protection, promote fish aggregation, enhance natural wave formations, or the sinking of wrecks can be used as a dive site to promote tourism.
However, artificial reefs may not be built for a specific purpose, but rather be a consequence of other human interactions with our marine environment. For example, the construction of coastal structures such as wharfs, marinas and jetties, the accidental sinking of ships, or moorings and marine debris, can subsequently promote the colonisation of marine life.
These can all be considered as artificial reefs - however their origin, purpose and material of construction are all very different.
Artificial reefs mean different things to different people and depending on your viewpoint, discussions with friends and colleagues may become contentious. Although structures of human origin are generally colonised by marine life, is this at the expense of the marine life that were previously utilising the original habitat?
Artificial structures often provide additional habitat that is usually physically different from the natural environment. Although such structures can be detrimental to local marine ecology when first introduced, they can eventually become havens for marine life, resulting in increased abundance and diversity in the region.
The exhibition is part of the FotoFreo Fringe exhibitions, part of the City of Fremantle, Festival of Photography - a biennial international festival showcasing photography from around the world.
The exhibition is free, but standard admission fees apply for the NMDC.
Just For Teachers!
Download the Education Resource
As well as exhibiting some amazing underwater photography, the exhibition Artificial Reefs: Oases for Marine Life? creates a wonderful opportunity to discuss and debate the pros and cons of artificial reefs with school students. Education resources to accompany the exhibition are now available here.
