Installation of the lobster structures

For the past months, the Chamela fishing cooperative worked hard to construct the first set of habitat structures for lobsters, to be placed in and near the fishing refuge. The structures will serve as artificial reefs, to give lobster and other marine life a place to hide, live, grow, and reproduce. The process has been a learning experience, from construction to transportation and placement of the heavy structures. They needed to be heavy to stay in place on the ocean floor, even in locations where the surge and waves are strong. The concrete material has also been mixed with the right materials to attract growth or plants, and coral.

Transporting them to the beach was no easy feat, and taking them out to the location was even more difficult. But as always, teamwork made it succeed. Once they were dropped into the ocean, local divers and fishermen worked together to flip them over and place them in the best location.

The plan is to monitor the progress every month to observe what improvements, if any, will occur.   A week later, the first octopus structures were placed. Their shape is cylindrical and stacked in different configurations.