Rigs-to-Reefs in Mexico: Where to reef oil rigs in the southern Gulf of Mexico?

Abstract Offshore oil platform substructures often transform into reef habitats by providing attachment surfaces for corals and algae, and shelter for commercially valuable fish. While few formal studies exist for these unintended artificial habitats in the oil exploration areas in the Southern Gulf of Mexico (SGOM), and abandonment plans for these structures remain unclear, evidence suggests their importance for various fishing and diving activities. This research aims to identify potential areas along the coasts of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche for establishing artificial reefs using oil platform substructures. A three-step approach was applied: 1) modeling potential distributions of reef-associated organisms to locate areas with high co-occurrence; 2) designing an exclusion map to identify incompatible areas with artificial reef deployment due to conflicts with existing human activities or habitats; and 3) integration of the previous steps to generate a potential reefing map. We found more than 11,000 Km2 have high and medium affinity as potential reefing areas. Three areas stand out because they could be used to deploy this type of artificial reef; one adjacent to Tamiahua’s Lagoon, the other in front of Tabaco’s shoreline, and the largest along Campeche’s shoals. The methodological framework developed for this research is low-cost, easily replicable, and flexible enough to adapt to other contexts.