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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

Houston Geological Society Bulletin

Abstract


Houston Geological Society Bulletin, Volume 13, No. 6, February 1971. Pages 5-5.

Abstract: The Compatibility of the Offshore Oil Industry and the Marine Environment

By

BurVon B. Tettleton

The strong feeling against the oil industry's offshore operations by the general public is basically unjustified. The general public has based its opinion on inaccurate reporting and this is what must be corrected. The offshore oil industry and the industries which derive their livelihood from the sea are actually allies in the common pursuit of the ocean's natural resources. The offshore oil industry does strive to be, and is, more than compatible. It is, on the other hand, inherently beneficial to most of these opposing interests. Personal observations over the past several years, beneath platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, show that each production platform becomes an individual artificial reef and, as such, attracts tremendous numbers of marine life. Over 2,800 of the artificial reefs now stand in the Louisiana waters, placed there by oil companies. These have caused a changing ecology in the Gulf of Mexico that has produced a fantastic accumulation of fish life. People connected with the sea, which include opposition in other areas, have received the associated rewards.

Colored slides and movies taken during scuba dives are presented that show how flora and fauna collect on progressively older platforms and how they attract fish life

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