Who We Are

Balancing

Energy

Needs

The Past,

Present 

& Future

Ocean

Science

Best Kept

Secret

Who We Are

Balancing

Energy

Needs

The Past,

Present 

& Future

Ocean

Science

Best Kept

Secret

MMS

SCIENCE

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE
2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 Volume 1 Issue 1

3 Who We Are

Introducing MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

4 Balancing Energy Needs &

Environmental Health

The Minerals Management Service

6 The Past, Present & Future

Protecting America’s 

Mineral & Human Resources

9 Ocean Science

Partnering Toward the Future

9 Did You Know?

MMS Asks The Hard Questions

10 Best Kept Secret 

Finds Fish & Fishermen

Platforms Set Stage for 

Intricate Habitat

12 New Waves

Late-breaking News & Information

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our site on the World Wide Web:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

To receive MMS OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up on the website

www.gomr.mms.gov, click on e-mail subscriptions on the left hand

column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or e-mail

mary.boatman@mms.gov

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 

Volume 1 Issue 1

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

bi-monthly by the Minerals

Management Service to communicate

recent ocean science and technological

information and issues of interest related

to offshore mineral recovery, ocean

stewardship, and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions,

comments, suggestions, and changes

of address to:

Mary Boatman

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

mary.boatman@mms.gov

(504) 736-2781

ABOUT THE COVER

Fish schooling under a platform 

in the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo by Gregory S. Boland

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service

Publication services provided by 

Schatz Publishing Group

MMS

SCIENCE
INTRODUCING

MMS

OCEAN

SCIENCE

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 3

WHOWE ARE

What Federal agency has provided more than

$135 billion dollars to the National

Treasury over the past 20 years? What

agency is responsible for the environmental

safety of 30,000 miles of offshore pipeline?

What agency is responsible for protecting the marine

biological habitats and the marine archaeological treasures

on the Outer Continental Shelf? Did you know that the

answer to all of these questions is the Minerals Management

Service (MMS)? Surprised? Most people are, and yet MMS

plays a vital role in the Nation’s ocean governance, energy

future, environmental health, and financial stability.

At MMS, we oversee America’s offshore energy resources

while ensuring the protection of the marine environment and underwater archaeological treasures. We

manage programs to collect technical and scientific information, through federally funded research projects,

to make informed decisions about where, when, and how the Nation’s offshore minerals are produced. The

MMS not only leases the rights to oil and gas deposits, but also to sand

and gravel used for coastal restoration projects. Onshore, as well as

offshore, MMS collects revenues from the production of resources on

Federal and tribal lands.

“Decisions we will make tomorrow, or next year, will have a

tremendous effect on the Nation our children will inherit,” says Johnnie

Burton, Director of MMS. “MMS-funded research is gathering the

information we need to make informed decisions about our energy needs,

our resource reserves, and our effect on the environment.”

To share this information, MMS OCEAN SCIENCE will focus on the

science and technology used or funded by MMS – whether it concerns

environmental questions such as oil spills and wildlife protection,

technological advancements in offshore oil drilling such as cell spar

platforms, or the results of studies such as the effect of offshore structures

on the surrounding ecosystem.

Don’t be surprised next time by all that MMS does. Be informed!
4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

BALANCING ENERGY NEEDS &

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

How will the future energy

needs be met? How much oil

do we have and when will it

run out? How can we

balance energy needs,

environmental health, and expanding

development – especially on the Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS)? These are hard

questions. Finding the answers to these

questions is part of the job of the

Minerals Management Service (MMS). 

What does the OCS and

environmental health have to do with

minerals management? There is one

major act or legal mandate which serves

as the basis for the offshore program of

MMS, a bureau of the U.S. Department

of the Interior – the Outer Continental

Shelf Lands Act or OCSLA. The Outer

Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953

called for the Federal Government to

manage the oil, gas, and other mineral

resources of the OCS to ensure national

security, reduce dependence

on foreign sources, protect 

the Nation’s environmental

health, and conserve 

the precious resources 

of the OCS.

An additional 14 other

mandates govern the actions

of the MMS including the

National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA), the

Coastal Zone Management

Act (CZMA), the Endangered

Species Act (ESA), the Marine

Mammal Protection Act

(MMPA), and the Federal 

Oil and Gas Royalty

Management Act (FOGRMA).

Based on those mandates, the

MMS was created by

Secretarial Order 3071 in

January 1982. 

There are two programs of

the MMS: Minerals Revenue

Management and Offshore

Minerals Management. The

Minerals Revenue

Management program is

headquartered in

Washington, D.C., but

operated out of the Federal

Center in Lakewood,

Colorado.

The Minerals Revenue Management

(MRM) program collects, accounts for,

and distributes revenues associated with

mineral production from leased Federal

and Indian lands. The program processes

more than 200,000 transactions every

month – totaling over $300 million –

from approximately 80,000 Federal and

Native American Indian leases. Mineral

lease bonuses, rentals, and royalties

managed by the MMS are a major source

of non-tax revenue for the Federal

Government. Since 1982, the

MRM program has

distributed approximately

$135 billion to Federal, State,

and Indian accounts,

including $75.4 billion to the

General Fund of the U.S.

Treasury (this includes a onetime disbursement of almost

$900 million to the

Environmental Improvement

and Restoration Fund); $13.5

billion to 38 states; $27.9

billion to the Land and Water

Conservation Fund, the

National Historic

Above: The Outer Continental Shelf is divided into

sections or planning areas, which are further divided

into approximately 3-mile by 3-mile blocks. These blocks

are leased by MMS for the recovery of mineral resources.

MMS RESPONSIBILITIES ESPONSIBILITIES

• Statutory mandate 

✓Expedite exploration

& development on the OCS

✓Protect human, marine, 

& coastal environments 

✓ Obtain fair & equitable return 

for the public 

✓Preserve & maintain competition 

• Balance objectives under all market conditions
Preservation Fund, and the 

Reclamation Fund; and $3.4 billion 

to the Department’s Office of Trust

Funds Management on behalf of 41

Indian tribes and 20,000 individual

Indian allottees.

Offshore Minerals Management,

headquartered in Washington, D.C., and

Herndon, Virginia, is responsible for the

leasing and oversight of mineral

operations in three regions: 1) the Alaska

Region, based in Anchorage; 2) the

Pacific Region, based in Camarillo,

California; and 3) the Gulf of Mexico

Region (includes the Atlantic Planning

Areas), based in New Orleans. Within

the Gulf of Mexico Region alone, over

7,500 leases and 4,000 offshore oil and

gas structures are managed.

Offshore Minerals Management is

responsible for all aspects of OCS

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 5

Excerpted from U.S. Code

Title 43, Chapter 29,

Subchapter III, Sec. 1331

(Definitions)

(a) The term ''Outer

Continental Shelf'' means

all submerged lands lying

seaward and outside of the

area of lands beneath

navigable waters as

defined in section 1301 of

this title, and of which the

subsoil and seabed

appertain to the United

States and are subject to its

jurisdiction and control...

Manage the Nation’s offshore resources; 

protect the ocean environment

resource management from

the initial geological and

geophysical analysis of the

resource through the

regulation of mineral

development and lease

abandonment activities. In

addition to oil and gas

resources, the MMS leases

lands for the recovery of sand

and gravel used to protect the

Nation’s shores and wetlands.

An active Environmental Studies

Program sponsors research in the

marine, social, and cultural

environments that provides important

scientific information to support

program decisions.

“The oceans off our coasts are a

national resource that is a vital component of our energy and economic

security,” says Johnnie Burton, Director

of the MMS. “Public lands offshore have

been a secure source of oil and gas for

over 50 years and today the Outer

Continental Shelf is one of the largest

sources of oil and natural gas for our

people – currently providing about 30

percent of the oil and 23 percent of the

natural gas that we produce

domestically. This percentage is likely to

increase in the coming decade because

over 60 percent of the Nation’s

remaining oil and gas is offshore.”

(see chart above right)

“In addition to an energy and

recreational resource, our coastal areas

are also highways of national and 

international commerce, a growing

source of food, and the front line in our

national defense effort,” says Burton. 

“As a land manager for the mineral

resources of our offshore areas – 

over 1.7 billion acres – the MMS, in

conjunction with other Federal agencies,

has to make choices on a daily basis that

balance these competing interests of

energy production, natural resource

preservation, vessel traffic, recreational

activity, commercial fishing, and 

National defense.” 

“The bureaus of the Department of

the Interior conduct extensive multipleuse planning that involves input from all

stakeholders,” says Burton. “When

environmental conditions warrant

protection, the Department recommends

no development or requires special

mitigation. Where we do have offshore

production, a billion dollars of these

revenues per year goes into the Land and 

Water Conservation and National

Historic Preservation programs. These

programs are directly aimed at

improving our environment.”

OCS Oil Production

as a Percentage of Total Domestic Production

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

29.7

27.8

26.6

25.2

21.8

20.0 18.6 17.4

15.3 14.4 13.2

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
6 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

T

o ensure we have heat for

homes or gas for cars in the

future, must we sacrifice the

historic treasures of the ocean

bottom? Would you sacrifice

the safety of offshore workers? Would

you sacrifice the health of whales?

Dolphins? No? Neither would the

Minerals Management Service (MMS),

which was created to make certain that

the energy resources are developed in

ways that won’t sacrifice the environment

and natural resources, the human

resources, the historic treasures, the

marine animals, or the future. 

Protecting the Environment

and Natural Resources

The MMS Environmental Studies

Program (ESP) provides the best

available scientific information to

support decisions for the offshore gas,

oil, and marine minerals program.

Decisions regarding future development

are based on that information, with the

purpose of protecting the environment

while still allowing the development of

resources to meet future needs.

In addition to the Environmental

Studies Program, the MMS Technology

Assessment and Research (TAR) Program

supports research into technical and

safety issues including operational safety,

pollution prevention, and oil spill

response and cleanup capabilities.

Over the last 13 years, the MMS

conducted 150 unannounced oil spill

drills to test the ability of offshore oil,

gas, and pipeline operators to contain or

mitigate and clean up oil spills. 

The operators follow procedures 

that are defined in the Oil Spill 

THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE 

PROTECTING

AMERICA’S MINERAL & HUMAN RESOURCES

Above: Seen here are settling plates attached to a cross

bar on a platform. These plates are used to measure the

rate of growth of barnacles, algae, and other encrusting

marine life. Note the extensive growth on the platform.
Response Plans filed with the MMS for

each offshore facility. Operators are given

a scenario with hypothetical weather

conditions and are tested on their

response efficiency. The MMS and other

agencies, sometimes including State

partners, participate in and witness the

response drills first hand. The tested

operators are then required to submit a

written report on their response within

15 days. The MMS responds with an

evaluation with critiques and

recommendations. 

Protecting the Nation’s

Human Resources

The Offshore Minerals Management

Program conducts more than 16,000

inspections a year to ensure oil and gas

worker and operational safety and the

protection of marine, coastal, and

human environments. 

The MMS has very strict requirements

for making certain the proper safety

equipment is used in drilling and

production operations. This equipment

must be tested thoroughly and properly

maintained. Workers are also required to

have the proper training. The MMS's

requirements, for example, include the

use of blowout

preventer devices

(BOP's) that can

withstand enormous

pressures --- up to

15,000 psi (pounds

per square inch). As

a result, blowouts

are few and usually

contained instantly.

The MMS

inspectors have the

authority to shut

down an operation

immediately if it is

being conducted improperly or without

proper equipment. Even for minor

accidents, MMS will conduct an

investigation and publish safety alerts to

encourage the rest of industry to strive

for better compliance. Each year, MMS

conducts a review of the operational

safety of each of the approximately 100

operators, focusing on their compliance

record and opportunities for

improvement (often a proactive step

based on a worldwide review of

problems and advances in industry).

More serious violations are subject 

to civil penalty proceedings. In fact,

MMS fined 14 operators $2.2 million 

in 2003, in addition to requiring the

problems be fixed.

Working together with industry is just

one of the many methods MMS employs

in the goal of protecting both people

and the environment.

Protecting the Nation’s 

Historic Treasures

The MMS requires oil and gas

industries to conduct sophisticated

underwater surveys of areas where they

propose drilling operations. They must

submit an archaeological analysis of the

results of those surveys. The MMS also

requires the same archaeological surveys

for sand and gravel dredging operations.

Thus far, around 300-400 ships

ranging from the 16th to the 19th

century have been discovered on the

Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf. That’s

a lot of history! 

One of the most significant finds is

the Josephine, a side-wheel steamship 

that belonged to Charles Morgan’s

Louisiana and Texas Railroad and

Steamship Company. The vessel sank as

she returned from Cuba in January 1881.

Because the Josephine is the most intact

side-wheel steamer ever found, she

provides historians a great opportunity

for research.

As operations move further into deep

water, more wrecks are being discovered.

The most exciting recent discovery was in

2002, when the remains of the only 

German U-Boat sunk in the Gulf of

Mexico were discovered in over 5,000

feet of water, not far from the last ship

she sank. 

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 7

Continued on page 8
Protecting the Nation’s

Marine Animals

The MMS ensures compliance with

environmental laws that protect marine

animals and their habitat. 

New species of animals that eat

dissolved gases were discovered in 1982

by two independent

teams. These

chemosynthetic

communities are densely

populated by animals that

are quite large as deep-sea

creatures go. They extract

their energy needs by

chemosynthesis instead

of photosynthesis and

thrive in a place of

perpetual darkness. The

MMS has developed rules that require

the oil and gas industry to protect these

communities, while still allowing for the

development of energy reserves.

Since the early 1970’s, the MMS has

actively been involved in a program of

protective activities at the East and West

Flower Garden Banks, the northernmost

coral reef ecosystem on the North

American continental shelf. Researchers

have collected data, including water

quality, light intensity, coral growth rates,

bleaching, algal cover, encrusting growth

of coral, and water temperature. The

results? No significant long-term upward

or downward trends in growth rates were

evident—growth was variable but stable.

These observations are documented in

the MMS study Long-term Monitoring of

the East and West Flower Garden Banks

National Marine Sanctuary, 2000-2001

(MMS Publication 2003-031).

Through the Environmental Studies

Program, MMS has funded over $70

million in marine research on the

distribution, abundance, and behavior of

marine mammals and the potential

effects of human activities on their

habitat. The potential effects of noise on

whales and dolphins is of particular

interest to MMS. Both whales and

dolphins locate objects and navigate by

sound (echolocation). The MMS, along

with the NOAA Fisheries and the Office

of Naval Research, is studying whether

underwater noise from oil and gas 

operations could be affecting

marine mammals, such as 

sperm whales.

The MMS, in conjunction

with several universities, is

gaining insight into migratory

birds and their interactions

with oil and gas

structures in the

Gulf of Mexico.

Early and very

tentative results

suggest that

exhausted

migrating birds benefit

from having offshore

platforms on which to rest

as they fly to their

breeding grounds. 

Protecting 

the Nation’s Future

The future of the country depends on

the protection of the energy resources,

the health of the people, and the state of

the environment. The MMS contracts for

research to ensure that informed

decisions are made to keep that 

future sound. 

“MMS has a responsibility to

thoroughly review new technology for

safety and reliability,” said MMS Director

Johnnie Burton. One way the MMS is

helping the future is by approving

technological advances that make oil

and gas exploration more efficient and

cost effective, while remaining environmentally sound. In January 2003, the

MMS announced that it

had given approval for use

of the world’s first cell spar

in a deepwater oil and gas

project. Kerr-McGee’s 

“Red Hawk” project will 

be located in 5,300 feet 

of water.

The MMS supports

marine environmental

monitoring studies to focus on 

assessing the long-term and short-term

environmental effects associated with

OCS production activities. These

monitoring efforts ensure that present

measures are working and are a source 

of continued improvement in the

protection of marine habitats for 

the future.

As present day natural gas reserves

are depleted, alternative sources must be

sought. One potential source is methane

hydrates, an ice-like material that traps

gas in its structure. The MMS is

supporting research into the potential 

of this resource to provide natural gas in

the future.

“As the Nation looks for alternative

sources of energy, we face an ongoing

challenge of meeting today’s needs,” 

said MMS Director Johnnie Burton in a

recent speech. “To preserve our 

country’s standard of living, fuel a

growing economy and protect the

homeland, we must meet

our increasing energy

demands through new and

innovative exploration...

but environmental

protection must

accompany energy

production.”

The balance of 

environmental protection

and energy production is

the challenge of the MMS,

as well as its mission. The

future of the environment

may depend on its

fulfillment.

Right: Kerr-McGee’s “Red Hawk”

project cell spar. This cell spar will

measure 64 feet in diameter and 480

feet in length. It will be composed of

seven tubes, each 20 feet in diameter,

with a center tube surrounded by the

other six tubes, all connected by

structural steel.

8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

PROTECTING Continued from page 7

Chemosynthesis:

Synthesis of

carbohydrate from

carbon dioxide and

water using energy

obtained from the

chemical oxidation

of simple inorganic

compounds.
As a charter member of the

National Oceanographic

Partnership Program

(NOPP), a collaboration

of 15 Federal agencies

established by Congress to provide

leadership and coordination of national

oceanographic research and education

programs, MMS is helping to

improve coordination across

the oceanographic

community. The MMS has

served as co-sponsor of a

number of NOPP-affiliated

research projects. Most

recently, and in light of the

November 2003 release of the

National Research Council’s

report, Exploration of the Seas,

MMS partnered with

NOAA’s Office of Ocean

Exploration to initiate a

study of the

archaeological and

biological significance of

deepwater WWII shipwrecks in

the Gulf of Mexico. Partnering

through NOPP, MMS was

able to address specific

mission-related science needs

while at the same time

answering the Nation’s call to

explore the sea. 

Looking even further into

the future, MMS is one of

seven NOPP members

comprising the Executive

Committee of the

Ocean.US., the National

Office for Integrated

and Sustained Ocean

Observations. Stemming

from a Congressional

request for “a plan to achieve a

truly integrated ocean observing system,”

NOPP established Ocean.US to serve as

the Nation’s focal point for developing

an Integrated Ocean Observing System,

or IOOS. Participation in the

development of IOOS allows MMS to

facilitate a clear line of communication

between its developers and its eventual

uses in the OCS oil and gas and marine

minerals industries.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 9

MMS ASKS THE

HARD QUESTIONS

DIDYOU 

KNOW?

What do you think of when you hear Minerals Management Service? Do you

think oil, leases, or minerals? Probably so. But would you think about coral reefs?

Beaches? Whales? Migratory birds? Deep-sea chemosynthetic communities? Civil

War shipwrecks? Meteorology? Probably not. Yet each of these resources is studied

and protected as part of MMS’s mission to manage the Nation’s offshore resources

and protect the ocean environment. To fulfill that mission, MMS and its partners

are asking hard questions about how oil and gas exploration and production are

affecting the diverse elements of the Outer Continental Shelf.

“The National Oceanographic Partnership Program has emerged prominently, affording our

community a level of direction and visibility heretofore unseen.”

– Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.), 

Chairman, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

PARTNERING TOWARD THE FUTURE

OCEAN SCIENCE

What can we do with old oil platforms?

There are over 4,000 oil and gas structures

in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 100

added each year. But each year, 90-100

platforms are also removed from service. How

can these platforms be decommissioned in a

way that can enhance the environment?

Through the “Rigs to Reefs” program, MMS

encourages the use of old platforms as artificial

reefs. The hard surfaces of the rigs serve as

perfect homes for encrusting organisms such as

spiny oysters, barnacles, sponges, and corals

that otherwise have no place to live. 

Under the Rigs to Reefs program, oil and

gas companies may donate platform structures

that will no longer be used to the nearest State.

The State, which receives title to the structure,

can then designate it for use as an artificial

reef. Because the company will not have to

dispose of the platform in a more expensive

and time-consuming manner, the company will

usually donate 50 percent of the savings they

realize to the State’s Rigs to Reefs program. 

The MMS serves as an informal advisor to

both the company and the States regarding the

possibilities of donating platforms when leases

are terminated. Three of the five coastal States

bordering the Gulf of Mexico have Rigs to

Reefs programs.
10

PLATFORMS SET STAGE FOR INTRICATE HABITAT

BEST KEPT SECRET 

FINDS FISH & FISHERMEN

Want to find the hottest

fishing spot in the Gulf?

Try an oil and gas

platform! As many

commercial and

recreational fishermen and divers have

discovered, platforms can be teeming with

life. But just what is the impact of the

platforms on the economic health of the

fishing and tourism industries? And

what is the impact on the ecological

health of the surrounding marine life?

Finding out is part of the mission of the

Minerals Management Service (MMS).

The economic value of offshore

structures to recreational fishermen first

came to national attention in the early

1970s. This awareness led to the

enactment of the National Fishing

Enhancement Act (NFEA) in the 1980s.

The legislation encouraged states to

develop programs that would create

artificial reefs from oil and gas platforms

that are no longer used for production.

Louisiana, with input from commercial

and recreational interests and regulatory

agencies, became the first state to

develop such a program, followed by

Texas and Alabama. 

By the end of 2002, 188 oil and gas

structures in the Gulf of Mexico had

been converted into artificial reefs.

Although as many as 30 per year

continue to be converted, this number is

limited by the depth of older rigs.

Platforms that were erected in less than

100 feet of water have navigation,

clearance, and liability issues that

prohibit or inhibit their conversion. 

In an effort to understand the effects

of oil and gas structures – especially

those converted to reefs – on both the

economic and surrounding marine life

of the area, the MMS has funded studies

to provide insight and guide future

decisions about their use. 

Measuring the number and varieties

of fish that surround platforms is not

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION

ON THE THE ECONOMIC IMP IMPAACTCT

OF OF OIL OIL AND GASAS PLA PLATFORMS TFORMS:

MMS Publication 2002-010

Economic Impact of Recreational

Fishing and Diving Associated with

Offshore Oil and Gas Structures in the

Gulf of Mexico

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

techsumm/2002/2002-010.html

MMS Publication 2003-009

Rigs and Reefs: A Comparison of the

Fish Communities at Two Artificial Reefs,

a Production Platform, and a Natural

Reef in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

techsumm/2003/2003-009.html

MMS Publication 2002-004

Gulf of Mexico Fish and Fisheries:

Bringing Together New and 

Recent Research

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

studies/2002-004.pdf

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

only important from an ecological

standpoint, but it is also important

economically. A study (MMS Publication

2003-009) funded through the Coastal

Marine Institute (CMI) at Louisiana State

University (LSU) examines the fish

population around platforms in the Gulf

of Mexico. Scientists from LSU and Texas

A&M found between 10,000 and 20,000

fish around the average platform located

in depths over 100 feet. More

importantly, it is estimated that over one

million red snapper, a valuable sport and

food fish species, live around the Gulf

platforms.

The economic impact of oil and gas

platforms on the recreational fishing and

diving industries has been the subject of

studies for over 20 years. In the 1980s,

one such study estimated that the

platforms were being used by 70 percent

of Louisiana fishermen. To fully

understand the economic impact, MMS

began a study (MMS Publication 2002-

010) that interviewed almost 10,500
private fishermen, charter boat

fishermen, party boat fishermen, and

divers. Follow-up interviews were

conducted to further differentiate the

expenditures. It was found that

$172.9 million in trip-related costs

and $640 million in equipment costs

were being added to the economic

base of those states. That is the

equivalent of 5,560 full-time jobs. 

According to MMS studies, the

underwater support structure or

“jacket” of a typical platform –

whether currently operating or

converted to a reef – provides 2-3

acres of hard substrate or “habitat” 

for marine life and seasonally hosts

10-20 thousand fish. This density of

life is very important for fishermen

because the Gulf, for the most part,

has very little rocky or reef habitat.

Researchers have estimated that fish

densities around platforms are 20-50

times higher than in nearby open

water – making them the most

popular fishing spots in the Gulf.

Whether you are a recreational or

commercial fisherman, a diver, or just

interested in the ecological health of

the Gulf of Mexico, the marine

habitat provided by oil and gas

platforms, both used and new, is

important to the future of the Gulf

ecosystem and your enjoyment of the

area. The MMS studies that are

currently underway will help

understand and protect that

future...and that hot fishing spot 

you just found!

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 11
MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

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POSTAGE 

PAID

PERMIT NO. 123

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Manage the Nation’s

offshore resources;

protect the ocean

environment

NEW WAVES Late-breaking News & Information

The Tension Leg Platform, Ursa, 

in the Gulf of Mexico

MMS Announces

Funding for Coral Study

The Minerals Management

Service announces the recent funding of a $1.4 million study of the

deepwater coral Lophelia. Scientists

conducting this new study will use a

manned submersible to first identify

and explore locations with Lophelia

in water depths greater than 1,000

feet. They will then begin

experiments to determine why 

these corals grow in some places

and not others. 

This upcoming study will

contribute to one of the

fundamental missions of the

Minerals Management Service: to

identify and consider the protection

of new and unknown sensitive

biological habitats. For more

information on the Lophelia coral

study, visit www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

ongoing_studies/gm/GM-03-02.html.

MMS Works with

Mexican Scientists

To gain a greater understanding

of the entire Gulf of Mexico, MMS

is funding the collection of

information about ocean currents

in Mexican waters. Through

collaboration with Mexican

scientists, instruments are currently

deployed in Mexican territory and

are collecting data simultaneously

with other studies in U.S. waters.

The MMS uses this information to

predict the movement of oil spills,

should one occur, which allows for

better response to an incident.

Read more about this collaborative

research at: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

ongoing_studies/gm/GM-02-x14.html