Discarded Oil Platforms Increase Ocean Fish Populations

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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....

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