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Central News Agency

A project involving the placement of artificial sea reefs was launched today in Sanya, a tropical city in the province of Hainan, in an attempt to restore the marine ecology of the popular tourist destination.
The project was organized by Hainan University and Wuzhizhou Island, one of the best dive sites in the country.
As of April, 870 artificial reefs with a total volume of about 30,000 cubic meters are expected to be placed in the island's marine park, said Wang Aimin, professor at the College of Ocean Sciences at Hainan University, during the launch ceremony of the project. Artificial reefs are used around the world to improve the ecology of the ocean, creating additional habitats for aquatic organisms and local fish.
Wang's team designs different types of reefs to ensure their ornamental qualities, and computer science will be applied to the marine park's data collection system. As of 2020, 1,526 artificial reefs, 21 ship barriers and a group of volcanic rocks have been placed in the Wuzhizhou Island Marine Park, Wang said.
"With the reefs, we have restored the marine ecosystem and the coral has developed well," said Ding Feng, vice president of the Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Resort.
According to official data, the coverage rate of living coral on the island's marine ranch has increased from less than 15% in 2010 to over 23% in 2021. The number of fish in the area has increased two to three times during this period.