The Gulf of Mannar (GoM) in southeastern India, once well known for its rich coral reefs, has been suffering for a long time from the vagaries of unprecedented threats posed by many natural and human-induced factors. The deployment of low-tech, low-cost artificial reef (AR) modules made of ferro-cement near Vaan Island in GoM helped enhance fishery production and enrich biodiversity. These modules remain strong even at the end of 15 years and continue to provide substrata to a significantly large population of coral colonies. In 2017, the density of the coral colonies attached to the ARs was found to be as high as 25.45 numbers per module (No.module⁻¹). Recruits from 13 genera were observed on the modules, Turbinaria (5.4 No.module⁻¹) and Favites (4.87 No.module⁻¹) being the dominant genera. The modules have attracted the recruits of boulder type corals, which are important for long-term ecological services. Widespread deployment of these modules would aid in reef recovery by providing suitable substrate for coral recruits.

中文翻译：

---

人工鱼礁模块对印度东南曼纳尔湾礁石恢复的长期好处

印度东南部的曼纳尔湾（GoM）曾经以其丰富的珊瑚礁而闻名，但长期以来一直遭受许多自然和人为因素造成的前所未见的威胁。在GoM附近Vaan岛附近部署了由低铁水泥制成的低技术，低成本人造礁（AR）模块，有助于提高渔业产量和丰富生物多样性。这些模块甚至在15年结束时仍保持强大功能，并继续为大量的珊瑚群落提供基础。在2017年，发现附着在ARs上的珊瑚殖民地的密度高达每个模块25.45个（模块编号^-1）。在Turbinaria（5.4 No.module ^-1）和Favites上观察到来自13属的新兵（4.87 No.module ^-1）是主要属。这些模块吸引了巨石型珊瑚的募集，这对于长期的生态服务很重要。这些模块的广泛部署将通过为新兵提供合适的基质来帮助礁石恢复。