Discarded Oil Platforms Increase Ocean Fish Populations

Every diver knows that fish like to gather in the shadow of structures such as jetties, shipwrecks, and even floating objects. So, it should not be a surprise that a recent study by Danish researchers found that the density of fish aggregating under oil and gas platforms is not localized, but extends many miles beyond them, and far greater than previously thought.

While offshore oil drilling is a serious environmental hazard, when platforms end their operational life, many are left in place or partially dismantled or toppled, in a socalled "rigs to reef " program. Not all environmental groups support turning them into artificial reefs, but the Danish researchers' study further supports leaving them in the ocean. For divers and fishermen, they're a boon.

Texas oil rigs are popular with divers. High Island A389, located off Galveston, Texas, was the first decommissioned oil platform to be reefed in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Another well-known U.S. site is Tenneco Towers, five oil platforms (three within recreational diving depths) south of Fort Lauderdale, where coral life is spectacular.