US Virgin Islands Constructing ‘First of Its Kind’ Artificial Reef

Fish swim among coral that has grown on the retired Naval Landing Ship Dock Spiegel Grove, sunk 20 years earlier, six miles off Key Largo, Fla., to become an artificial reef, on May 15, 2022. Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP

The U.S. Virgin Islands is set to construct a “first of its kind” artificial reef aimed at protecting its coasts and increasing resiliency against future storms, officials announced on Jan. 11.

In a press release, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources said its first ever artificial reef will be built via an initiative funded by the Division of Fish and Wildlife.