Water and the flat seafloor get a little help Enhancing a habitat Offshore waters begin where the land ends, stretching from the sandy beaches of Texas to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. The bottom is mostly soft mud or sand with occasional bars and troughs to break its flatness. These reefs are built of materials like stone rubble, trees, concrete, old ships, and oil rigs. If we build it, they will come Adding artificial reefs to offshore waters opens these areas up to seaweeds, mussels, shrimp, crabs and a host of other animals, including the fish that feed on them. Animals aren't the only ones to benefit from the reefs, though.
Fish schooling about the man-made reefs attract commercial and recreational anglers.
Recently, scuba divers have also discovered the reefs and the fascinating animals and plants that live here. Animals go with the flow or dig in Naturally, the soft bottom and lack of cover make life a challenge to plants and animals in the offshore waters. Most plants can't live here at all since there's no hard surface to grow on. The few animals that do live here must either float above the bottom or burrow into it. In the water, fish swim against the waves while tiny plants and jellyfish drift with them.