Cardiff Bay settled in neighbourhoods close to the docks, known as Tiger Bay, and communities from up to 45 different nationalities, including Norwegian, Somali, Yemeni, Spanish, Italian, Caribbean and Irish helped create the unique multicultural character of the area. After the Second World War most of the industry closed down and became derelict. But, in 1999, new life was injected into the area by the building of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, one of the most controversial building projects of the day but also one of the most successful. The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (CBDC) was created in 1987 to stimulate the redevelopment
Cardiff Bay Barrage 85% to 78% as a result of lower levels of winter survival. The freshwater lake had problems with blue-green algae initially which made it impossible to swim in the water or participate in water sports. These issues have now largely been resolved though some toxic algae remain in some of the dock areas in the bay. Cardiff Bay has become the first area of freshwater in Wales to be infested with zebra mussels – an alien species to the UK which multiplies rapidly to the detriment of native marine life. The Cardiff Harbour Authority has decreed that "Personal watercraft" used