Marine life off the South Coast is set to be enriched by Europe's first artificial surf reef, construction of which began today.

The Bournemouth reef, one of only four in the world, has been eagerly anticipated by the hordes of surfers who descend on the stretch of sandy coastline at the merest hint of a swell. But it will also be a boon for fish populations, which ecologists say will find a perfect home among the molluscs and corals that are expected to colonise the two and a half acre construction.

Dr Kerry Black, the designer of the reef at Boscombe beach, says the coastline will also benefit, as the reef will suck power out of waves before they hit the beach. Coastal erosion is a significant problem in the area.

Meanwhile the congregation of diverse marine species is expected to turn the reef into one of the South Coast's diving hotspots.

Though construction of the £2.68 million structure hit delays over the concerns of local fishermen, marine ecologists from Bournemouth University, who have been working on the project, say fears of an adverse impact on fish stocks are unfounded.

“We anticipate positive things for the fish populations,” Dr Rodolphe Gozlan, reader in conservation ecology at the university, said.

“Because the area is mainly sandy, the reef will allow colonisation from shellfish and corals that would otherwise not be there. That will in turn attract fish,” he explained.

While artificial reefs had been shown to either concentrate or enhance marine populations depending on their location, in Bournemouth, it is expected to enhance marine life as there was no equivalent habitat nearby, Dr Gozlan added.

Some environmentalists cautioned that certain species must be carefully protected during the build, which is expected to take around three months.

"There are a range of inshore marine species which could be affected," Thomas Bell, coastal pollution officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said. "These are species which are notably in need of protection measures and include the zostera sea grass beds, brittle stars, the horse mussel Modiolus and the pink seafan."

Developers insist that the method of construction, which avoids dredging, is environmentally sensitive.

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