Drilling platforms as artificial reefs: Distribution of macrobenthic assemblages of the "Paguro" wreck (northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract

Offshore drilling raises the issue of disposal of platforms at the end of their productive cycle and re-use as artificial reefs has been proposed. The wreck of the "Paguro" drilling platform, which sank in the northern Adriatic Sea in 1965, offers the opportunity to study the performance of offshore structures as artificial reefs in a region where this solution has not been explored before. We provide a description of the macrobenthic assemblages present at the wreck at different sites and at different depths, based on destructive and photographic sampling. Results show that the wreck has been colonized by a rich and diversified fauna. Primary space has been dominated by mussels and oysters, which provide suitable habitats for a variety of benthic invertebrates. Assemblages vary among sites, species richness is greatest at those sites facing prevailing currents. Distribution patterns vary vertically, evenness (Hill's N10) decreasing significantly with depth. It is argued that the results contribute to the background knowledge required in rigs-to-reefs programmes. © 2002 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.