The U.S. Virgin Islands will soon build its first artificial reef to protect its coast and make the U.S. territory more resilient against future storms, officials announced Thursday.
The 18-foot-by-12-foot reef will be installed near the coast around St. Thomas and is expected to be completed by July, according to the island's Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The project will be funded by more than $760,000 in federal funds awarded to the University of the Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the U.S. territory in 2017.
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Ministry Secretary Jean-Pierre L. Auriol said university officials were selecting the strongest specimens from more than a dozen species of coral at the nursery to attach to the artificial reef. He said officials are working with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts to create an environmentally friendly design.
Safety signs seen at Smith Bay Beach in the US Virgin Islands. The region will soon have its first artificial reef built to protect the coast and increase resilience against future storms. (Lindsay Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“The goal is to enhance habitat for corals suffering from climate change and increase shoreline protection as we work to restore natural coral reefs,” said Marilyn Brandt, project manager and research professor at the University of the Virgin Islands. said.
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The project comes amid rising ocean temperatures and more powerful Atlantic hurricanes.
