(October 15, 2025) – Washington, DC – Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Mike Ezell and Marc Veasey, along with CSC Vice-Chair Congressman Troy Carter, have introduced the Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act – priority legislation for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) that will facilitate the conversion of decommissioned offshore oil and gas infrastructure that foster healthy reef ecosystems to state artificial reef programs.
“Offshore oil and gas platforms are the catalyst for teeming reef fish communities and offer recreational anglers consistent, reliable fishing destinations,” said Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “Far more than fish attractors, the value they provide for enhancing marine productivity and biodiversity is well documented, but they are quickly disappearing. We very much appreciate Representatives Ezell, Veasey, and Carter for their leadership to ensure we have the best opportunity to preserve these fishing meccas for future generations.”
Using a science basis, the bill allows for an evaluation of the remaining structures for the presence of important reef organisms, and once found, allows for more time for the structures to be converted to a state’s Rigs-to-Reefs program. The bill also allows for the area in the immediate vicinity of the structure to be considered a reef planning area and for the structure to be reefed in place, minimizing the disturbance to the organisms living on or around the structure. Furthermore, the bill maintains the requirement that any associated wells must be plugged and sealed just as they would be if the platform was to be towed to shore and scrapped on land.
In the Gulf of America alone, around 7,000 oil and gas platforms were installed overtime since the first structure was built in 1947. Today, less than 1,100 remain and several hundred of those are currently in the decommission process, while only around 25-35 percent, on average, will be slated for the Rigs-to-Reefs program.
CSF submitted a letter, joined by the nation’s leading marine recreational fishing organizations, in support of the bill’s introduction and the effort to address the problem of an accelerated loss of valuable marine fisheries habitat. As the trusted voice for America’s 55 million sportsmen and women, CSF will work to secure additional support for the bill in Congress, as well as from coastal communities, as we seek to ensure the bill becomes law.
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