From tarmac to seabed, tyres offer refuge for marine life

Hundreds of tyres are giving back to nature in the Queensway Quay marina, whose owner decided to use them to build an artificial reef.

Marine conservationist Dr Eric Shaw filmed a TikTok video on the artificial reef as part of his series of informative videos on an array of topics that include marine life, wine corks and military artefacts.

“The marina owner wanted to give back to nature by sacrificing two of his moorings by putting tyres down and then pouring a vast amount of marine grade concrete all over the tyres,” Dr Shaw explains in the video.

“So that sea life, limpets etc can have a home.”

He added that nature will live on any artificial surface as it would on any rocky outcrop.

The concrete and tyres have a large quantity of growth on them and in time, neither artificial material will be visible.
The reef is already home to a variety of marine life.

To assist in sustaining the marine life and leaving it undisturbed, the owner has banned both fishing and swimming within the marina.

To watch more of Dr Shaw’s TikTok videos go to https://www.tiktok.com/@ericsjems