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Natural coral reefs grow oh-so-slowly. Artificial ones sometimes grow by leaps and bounds, as scientists from Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi recently discovered.

The scientists are in the midst of a two-year survey of marine life around artificial structures in the Gulf, which I’ve been covering since late summer. In October, they spent two weeks on board the R/V Falkor. On that cruise, they created 3-D maps of several artificial reef study sites using multi-beam sonar.

In post-cruise analysis of those maps, it was clear that several of the sites have had new structures placed on them.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages the state’s rigs-to-reef program. Under this set-up, when a platform is due for removal, its owners can donate it to a state’s federally approved program, along with a chunk of cash that is supposed to equal half of what it would have cost the company to take the structure out (and that could be from $1 to $7 million or more). The company saves some money, while the state gets funds to run the program. The owner caps the well under the structure according to federal regulations, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Engineering approves the reefing plan, the Corps of Engineers issues a permit (because this is all happening in navigable waters), and the structure is, usually, dropped on its side or in pieces in a designated reef site.

In all, 133 rigs or oil- and gas-associated parts have been converted to reefs off the coast of Texas, according to Chris Ledford, TPWD artificial reef program specialist. Thirty-four of those were reefed in place. Water depths range from 60 to 305 feet, with most in the 150-280 foot range, he says.More at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2012/12/08/counting-fi
sh-growing-reefs/

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