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.