#2 As an aside, it was learned years ago that when electrical cable had just a slight current running through it, it both attracted coral growth, and caused accelerated coral growth, for unknown reasons.
So an experiment is underway off the east coast of Africa, in an area with barren sea floor leading up to the beach. A grid of cable was staked out, then a small current is run through it, using a car battery on the beach.
It is hoped that the grid will turn into a coral platform, which in turn will attract an abundance of sea life, eventually forming an extensive reef. If successful, such inexpensive offshore grids will start appearing along many coastlines of the world.
Ironically, the scuttling of US Navy ships to create artificial reefs is a big boost to maritime industries of both fishing and diving, which in turn is hoped will build a pool of recruits for the Navy in the future. |