On Thursday, 15 Biohut artificial habitats have been installed at the Sant Feliu de Guíxols Yacht Club to protect alevine fish from their potential predators until they increase in size. It is the first port in Spain to participate in this project, which already has thousands of Biohuts installed in countries such as France or Denmark.
The purpose of the yacht club with this project is threefold: first, increase the number of fish giving shelter and food to the alevins and preventing other larger predatory species from eating them; secondly, awareness and respect for the sea, which will be worked on through the installation of four additional “mini” Biohuts that can be removed from the water to make training for children between 8 and 12 years old with the dissemination of underwater life in the port; and thirdly, annually there will be scientific studies with species counting and the behaviour and evolution in the time of marine species within the port will be known.
The installation of biohuts under the baskets of the CNSFG has been carried out by the company Ecocean, an entity that oversees the ecological restoration and support for the functions of ecosystems chosen by the nautical club to participate in the project for its clean waters, floating jetty and depth greater than 8 meters from its port.
From now, you will have to wait about a year to see the Biohut full of life. A team of local divers and biologists will be in charge of studying their evolution. Learning days will also be organized with the students of the schools to connect the port and the city and raise awareness about the marine life in the port.
The Biohut project
Artificial structures such as ports were designed for specific uses and are not habitats adapted for fish to grow, due to disturbances, low habitats, lack of food resources and numerous predators. However, they are located in shallow areas and some juvenile fish settle there with little chance of survival. It is in this context that Biohut was born, a project that aims to bring artificial habitat adapted to ports in order to reduce the impact of these infrastructures on aquatic and marine ecosystems and provide the key functions of breeding habitats: shelter and food resource.
Commitment to the environment
The Club Nàutic Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a non-profit organization with more than 60 years of history that oversees the promotion of the sea and its activities. With the adherence to the Biohut project, it reaffirms its commitment to the care of the environment, which works with actions such as the daily control of water quality or the current agreement it maintains with the environmental group Natura Sterna for the preservation of marine fanerogams.
