Fatah cuts a solitary figure on the quay of Algiers’ fishing port. His silhouette blends seamlessly into the dead of night in the center of the Algerian capital. The only sources of light come from the Che Guevara Boulevard, which runs along the seafront in the distance, and rhythmic orange bursts of glow emanating from his cheap cigarette, illuminating one side of his grizzled face. In a matter of hours, dozens will join the solitary forty-year-old man, and the port will transform into an animated, makeshift market. The action begins with the return from sea of a handful of fishing boats, their evening’s catch aboard. 

In Algeria, the average quantity of fish taken out of sea has been recorded at a consistent 100,000 tons per annum over the last three decades. However, as Algeria’s population continues to grow, authorities estimate that they will need to rely on techniques such as fish farming to reach the 200,000 tons that will be necessary to meet domestic needs. 

Artificial reefs at a larger scale might also provide support for fishing by promoting the reproduction of fish and other marine species close to the coast. But Algeria has a long way to go, since artificial reefs have only been immersed on an experimental level by diving associations helped by scientists the last ten years. “There has been a drop-off in the number of fish over the last few years. We have to go farther and farther into sea. In other countries fishing is halted for a few weeks every year so that the species can repopulate, but not here,” Fatah claims.

Contrary to Fatah’s assertions, Professor Samir Grimes of the National Higher School of Marine Sciences and Coastal Planning, insists that Algerian authorities do impose periodic fishing bans on specific species to respect the biological rest and their reproductive seasons, but the real issue is a lack of “governance” in fishing management.

Algeria enforces a yearly ban on swordfish fishing between January and March. The government also prohibited trawlers from using pelagic, semi-pelagic, and bottom trawls in fishing zones located within three nautical miles of the shore from June to the end of September 2024, according to Algérie Presse Service, the state press agency.

“The problem is not overfishing, per se. The real problem is the distribution of locations that fishermen frequent.” Grimes confirms. According to the professor, Algerian fishermen continue to use traditional fishing methods passed down orally from father to son, despite financial incentives and subsidies to help them acquire sophisticated equipment for offshore fishing. “Instead of going out to sea, some fishermen return to ancestral fishing spots. Essentially, what happens is that they are plowing the seabeds and temporarily disturbing the ecosystem and killing their own livelihood because many fishing areas near seagrass beds are nurseries,” explains Professor Grimes.

These practices, along with other variables related to climate change and socioeconomic factors (nine out of ten Algerians live in the northernmost 12.6 percent of the country’s land area, according to a study published in 2015 by the Algerian Ministry of Water Resources and Environment), are putting pressure on certain areas of the Algerian coast and threatening emblematic species of the Mediterranean Sea such as the grouper and the posidonia, the latter having now been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Six hundred kilometers east of Algiers, in Annaba, divers have decided to take action to combat the destruction of the Algerian seabed and raise awareness among fellow citizens and authorities about the importance of preserving these natural resources, which are not immediately visible. The Hippone Sub Association is set up on a small hill overlooking Caroube beach. In the distance, Annaba, also known as “Hippone” in the Roman era, dominates the skyline.

The group often meet and organize their activities at the Fortin, a fortified stone monument that dates back to 1862. On a regular basis, Hippone Sub gets together to swim, dive, and, perhaps most importantly, carry out artificial reef immersions.

Karim Chiri, the association’s director, first thought of the idea in 2008, explains Lyes Basaid, a diving instructor and head of the Artificial Reef Project at Hippone Sub. But it wasn’t until 2016 that the first model was submerged after securing funding through a United Nations Development Program grant (UNDP).

At the beginning of the initiative, the members of the association, which also includes marine biologists, were fully aware that there was no legal framework for artificial reef immersions in Algeria. That’s why they began involving the authorities to create a legislative framework for members of Algerian civil society to submerge artificial reefs along the Algerian coast without risking legal consequences. 

“The goal of our first years was primarily educational. It was about promoting artificial reefs and sending a message to institutions about what we could do to protect the biodiversity that is being harmed by human intervention,” explains Basaid. 

As part of their efforts to raise awareness, the association helped produce Les Maisons de la Mer, a 2017 film  directed by marine biologist Hamza Mendil. Mendil’s film documented the entire process that led to the immersion of the first artificial reef in Annaba as well as the natural developments over the following months. The film, the first of its kind in Algeria, won awards at the World Festival of Underwater Images in Marseille, France, in 2018.

Thanks to their advocacy, Hippone Sub in coordination with the Probiom Foundation—Algeria’s network for marine biodiversity protection, created in 2009—managed to attract the attention of the highest authorities in Algeria. In 2017, just one year after the first reef was submerged by the association in Annaba, the government passed a law to regulate the immersion of artificial reefs. 

“This law allows a local wilaya (provincial) commission to grant permission for the immersion of artificial reefs to project sponsors, whether they are associations, institutions, or others,” explains Emir Berkane, a doctor, environmental activist, and president of the Probiom Foundation. The legislation also enabled Hippone Sub and Probiom to begin their second project in 2021 with “two new pyramidal immersions that measure 33 m³ and 66 m³,” creating one of the largest reefs in Algeria, says Emir Berkane. In Annaba, “one of the two pyramids is still thriving, along with the first artificial reef,” the environmental activist notes.

Over the last decade, there has been a surge in activity surrounding this issue, observes Professor Grimes. Several artificial reefs have been submerged off the Algerian coast by associations and researchers, notably in Oran and Mostaganem, which are located 420 and 330 kilometers west of Algiers, respectively. Other projects are in preliminary stages, including one in Aïn Témouchent, 490 kilometers west of Algiers, which is being worked on by Professor Grimes, himself.

“However, artificial reefs are not panaceas,” cautions Professor Grimes. “We should not let people, fishermen, and managers believe that artificial reefs will solve the fishing problem and restore biodiversity.”

“These reefs are beneficial for fishermen because they provide habitats for species to reproduce,” He continues. “Eggs and larvae don’t disperse; they remain trapped in a habitat where they will find suitable temperatures and nutrients, so a food chain will develop. If you create one reef here and another not too distant from it, they will facilitate ecological connectivity, but it’s complex and takes several years to establish.” 

There are three main types of artificial reefs: production reefs, protection reefs to prevent trawling, and landscape reefs. So far, the models submerged by Algerian associations are all experimental production reefs with the goal of showing the authorities what could be possible at a larger scale.

“Observational reports conducted by Professor Farid Derbal, our scientific advisor at Probiom, identified nearly 50 species living in the first reef [in Annaba]. He also observed that metal is more conducive for colonization than concrete,” explains Emir Berkane. Looking out over the shimmering sea of the Annaba coast, Derbal, a professor in marine biology and marine science at the Badji Mokhtar University, confirms, “During the first 6 months of immersion in the main module, with an area of 4 m³, we were able to identify 47 species, including 12 algae, 17 invertebrates, and 18 fish. Some of these species are considered rare in the Mediterranean (cystoseira meadows, golden grouper) or non-native (Asparagopsis, Schizoporella errata).”

Despite these observations, the professor believes there is still a long way to go in raising awareness about conservation efforts in government. The scientist himself was arrested six years ago by coast guards while conducting an authorized dive to collect samples necessary for his research. The immersion of artificial reefs on the coast of Annaba, which he has been monitoring, allowed him to witness the bio-colonization that began within the first few months after the immersion of the artificial reefs in 2016 and 2021.

“We saw the installation of initial organisms like algae, cephalopod eggs, and small resident fish such as gobies, blennies, and the painted wrasse. We already observed a small school of fish swimming around this reef in just the first months of its establishment. Afterwards, the reefs quickly saturated leaving no more space for new organisms. Each organism occupies its little habitat, and from there we said, ‘These are the results for two or three cubic meters.’ This helped us communicate the importance of artificial reefs and the need to take it to the next level,” explains the professor.

For many environmental advocates, the next phase of this effort must be led by the state, as local associations often lack the financial and technical resources to manage and expand protective artificial reef systems. “At Probiom, we stopped initiating reef-immersion projects because we believe the next step should be a large-scale governmental initiative,” says Emir Berkane. He remains optimistic, noting that there appears to be institutional goodwill toward the development of artificial reefs.

This optimism was validated when Algeria enacted a 2017 law to support sustainable fishing practices and artificial reef projects. Subsequently, the country launched a partnership with Japan, renowned for its expertise in reef development, to establish large-scale reef systems. This partnership will last for the next two years and will include the training of fisheries administration officials, professionals, as well as members of associations in the same field.

One of the most ambitious initiatives under this partnership involves immersing 10 hectares of artificial reefs in the Bay of Bousfer, off the coast of Oran, 400 kilometers west of Algiers. As part of this project, 40 concrete blocks were submerged across 500 square meters on November 14, 2024, in collaboration with different organizations from civil society.These efforts signal a significant shift from grassroots advocacy to national action. With the continued support of local activists, international expertise, and governmental commitment, several actors are putting their right foot forward to slow the damage of Algeria’s marine coasts.