A 31-ton propane tank and steel tower were sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico off the US state of Mississippi. The two structures are located about 21 kilometers south of Petit Bois Island and will be used as an artificial reef.
The equipment belonged to the Forts Lake Volunteer Fire Department, where it was used to train firefighters. After being decommissioned, it found a new purpose underwater. The project involved Chevron, the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks.
Steel instead of mud bottom
The structures are supposed to provide a hard surface around which fish and other marine organisms can gradually gather. Artificial reefs are used as shelter, feeding grounds and breeding grounds in areas where natural reefs are scarce.
“Before, there were no artificial reefs, or even reefs at all, just mud bottoms. "It's good for shrimp, but not for reef fishing," said Ralph Humphrey, president of Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks, as quoted by local television station WLOX.
He said the new reef could expand recreational fishing opportunities and create jobs for charter boat captains. The site is part of a larger network of artificial reefs along the Mississippi coast.
The project is part of a larger program
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources manages offshore reef areas that have already been used for concrete elements, steel vessel hulls and decommissioned industrial structures.
According to a representative of „Chevron“ Katarina Scott steel structures will remain on the seabed and benefit the fishing community for years.
Sources: wlox.com