An assessment of the use of stabilized coal and oil ash for construction of artificial fishing reefs: Comparison of fishes observed on small ash and concrete reefs

Fishes present on small artificial reefs located 2 km off the central east coast of Florida (USA) were surveyed to determine the acceptability of using stabilized oil and coal ash residue as a component material in construction of artificial fishing reefs. Species richness was not significantly different over 2.5 yr on stabilized oil and coal ash reefs compared to concrete control reefs. Of 19 species tested for significant differences in mean abundance, lane snapper was observed at significantly higher mean abundances on fossil-fuel ash reefs (stabilized oil ash/coal fly ash), while three reef species (hairy blenny, porkfish and gray snapper) were significantly more common on concrete control reefs. Further study is needed to determine whether contaminants (Cu, V, Ni and Zn) from stabilized ash blocks can cause abundance differences for some fishes. Plausible alternate explanations for the differences in mean abundance include both interspecific interactions (competition and predation) and differences in the attraction or retention of fish among reef replicates due to slight variations in reef dimensions.