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Bipartisan Legislation introduced to preserve critical Gulf of Mexico habitat

by American Sportfishing Association 19 Dec 2023 18:56 UTC
2022 Deepwater Horizon habitat restoration cruises captured many colorful images of habitats in deeper areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Here, crinoids and corals populate the sea floor © NOAA Fisheries

On December 15, U.S. Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced legislation to preserve marine ecosystems and protect fishing access for anglers in the Gulf of Mexico by improving longstanding artificial reefing programs.

"As anyone who has fished offshore in the Gulf of Mexico knows, oil and gas platforms are thriving marine ecosystems," said Mike Leonard, vice president of Government Affairs at the American Sportfishing Association. "These are fishing meccas that are tremendously important to the sportfishing industry and coastal communities. We applaud Reps. Graves and Veasey for introducing Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, which will help facilitate more of these artificials reefs remaining in the water to support the marine ecosystem."

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