Artificial Reef Aquarium

As visitors approach the 5,000-gallon artificial reef aquarium, they will be amazed by the multi-colored sponges, corals, bryozoans, and oysters attached to the legs of a miniaturized replica of an offshore oil and gas production platform. Hiding among the legs of the platform are fishes such as rockhinds, shrimp eels, and soapfish. Fish swimming nearby include lookdowns, puffers, pompanos, and jack crevalle.

Cottonwick

Texas has been involved in placing artificial reefs since the late 1940s to provide more fishing opportunities. Objects such as oyster shells, tires, automobiles, construction rubble, clay pipes, barge ships, and drilling rigs have been employed.

The steel jackets of offshore oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico create dynamic “artificial reef” ecosystems by providing hard substrate and a physical presence. In the mid-1980’s the Rigs to Reef Program was created as an avenue through which obsolete production platforms could be left in the marine environment as artificial reefs. These structures provide attachment sites for invertebrates such as barnacles, oysters, mussels, bryozoans, hydroids, sponges, and corals, and provide shelter and food for fish that live around them all year long. Artificial reefs also attract open water species, which may be present at the reef for periods of a few hours to a few days.

Clownfish