Artificial reefs are a well-recognised technique for enhancing local fisher resources, and providing recreational fishing and diving opportunities (Fowler and Booth, 2012). In several instances, they have been used in management contexts (Feary et al., 2011), for example as a trade-off for closure of sensitive or impacted habitats. Several artificial reefs exist in Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay, established by government agencies, user groups or private citizens, and in place for varying lengths of time. There is very strong anecdotal evidence for their efficacy in providing habitat for benthic colonisers, and thereby for fish and invertebrates, enhancing biodiversity at the local scale.
However, there is uncertainty about the colonisation trajectory of new artificial reefs in estuarine settings, and ongoing debate about whether they enhance marine productivity at the larger scale, or act primarily as aggregating devices (Brickhill et al., 2005). The installation of small artificial reef structures in Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay over the last decade represents an opportunity to study the colonisation trajectory for fish associated with these structures, in the context of adjacent soft sediment and natural reef structures. In addition, offshore artificial reefs structures have been installed seaward of South Stradbroke Island, and to the north of Moreton Island, providing additional contrasting settings against which fish and benthic assemblage structure can be compared.