Board to Consider Artificial Reefs Plan

Four Chevron oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel would be dismantled, cleaned and moved to Ventura County waters to create artificial reefs under a proposal to be considered by county supervisors Tuesday.

The Ventura County Fish and Game Commission is requesting that the Board of Supervisors endorse a plan to use portions of the oil platforms when they are abandoned next year. Chevron has already received the necessary permits to remove the platforms.

Although there has been strong support expressed for the program by recreational fishing and diving organizations, some commercial fishing organizations have expressed concerns that the artificial reefs might damage or curtail their operations.

County officials, however, said that before an artificial reef could be created in county waters, a full environmental review would have to be conducted, and that state and federal regulatory agencies would have to approve the project.