3D-Printed Reefs Show Early Success in Restoring Deep-Sea Coral Habitats

In a joint venture under the Horizon Europe Redress programme, scientists from the University of Galway, Ifremer and Sorbonne University installed 23 low-carbon concrete artificial reefs on the deep seabed off the south-west Porcupine Bank and in the Guilvinec Canyon of the Bay of Biscay. The cylinders, about 80 cm tall and 100 cm in diameter, were placed at depths between 900 and 1,100 m during an August expedition aboard the French research vessel L’Atalante.

Coral nubbins introduced in 2025 are still alive, and the reefs have attracted sea urchins, fish, crabs and crinoids. Researchers plan further surveys next year using an Irish vessel, employing video, photography and 3D mapping to track coral growth and ecosystem development. The sites are now protected from bottom trawling under the European Common Fisheries Policy and the Natura 2000 network. Findings could inform larger-scale restoration of Atlantic cold-water reefs and help assess climate-change impacts on these fragile habitats.