Locals pleased with Pickets’ reconstruction

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A local fishing hotspot is going to be preserved for the future thanks to a cooperative effort from some of the major players in the oilfield and outdoors industries.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, Fieldwood Energy, Apache Corporation and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries started construction this week on an artificial reef system to place at the recently removed oil rig Ship Shoal 26, known by fishermen as “the Pickets.”

A ceremony was held last Tuesday at Coco Marina in Cocodrie to honor the occasion, which was celebrated by anglers and outdoorsmen who expect the artificial reef will create a haven for fish the same way Ship Shoal 26’s infrastructure did for many years.


“This area has served as a trout fishing haven for many years, and we are extremely pleased that we are able to preserve this angling hot spot,” said LDWF Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina. “Speckled trout and redfish are typically associated with low- to mid-relief structures which provide a refuge from currents, where they can remain without expending energy while preying on food as it is carried across the structure. This makes this area a particularly important fisheries habitat.”

For local fishermen hungry to keep trout flowing into their boats, this project is a breath of fresh air.

The project calls for the deployment of roughly 14,000 tons of four-inch limestone to be placed over three specially engineered artificial reefs. The reefs will be designed to protect depressions in the seafloor that were created by the prevailing current that flows around and through the Pickets.


By doing so, the man-generated reefs will be able to maintain and enhance these scour holes, which will provide habitat for marine life – the same way that Ship Shoal 26’s structure did in the past.

The structure was removed recently when Fieldwood acquired Apache’s Gulf of Mexico shelf assets, as part of a deal struck in 2013. Included in that project was the Pickets’ structures and pilings located at Ship Shoal 26. Part of the agreement, Fieldwood entered into a decommissioning agreement with Apache, making them responsible for the removal of Ship Shoal 26 – an order levied by the Federal Government because the site had been abandoned many years ago.

Throughout the entire deal, both companies stated publicly that they understood the importance of iconic structures, stating that they were committed to mitigating the impacts of its removal in an effort to help the fishermen who relied upon the area to provide fruitful fishing trips.


“There are so many trout fishermen in this state who have fond memories of the Pickets,” said David Cresson, the executive director of Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana (CCA-Louisiana). “It’s unfortunate that we have to say goodbye to those structures, but we are so grateful to have partners here who were committed to doing everything they could to maintain the area for future generations.”

The Pickets’ reef is part of a $1.2 million project that is being funded by Apache, Fieldwood, CCA’s Building Conservation Trust and the LDWF.

The contractor for the construction is DLS Energy, and the company providing the material for the reefs is G&H Barge.


The Pickets Reef is the 10th such project to be funded through the Louisiana Artificial Reef Trust Fund in cooperation with CCA-Louisiana. It is the 14th reef to be built by CCA-Louisiana since 2004.

“We were happy to be part of this effort to preserve, protect and enhance one of the iconic fishing spots in Louisiana,” said Obie O’Brien, vice president of governmental affairs for Apache Corporation. “We understand the need for a strong and diverse environment because we live it in every day.”

“The Pickets is an area that residents of Louisiana and Texas – including many of our employees at Fieldwood have fished for decades,” added John Seeger, Fieldwood’s vice president of decommissioning. “We were required by federal law to remove the structures, but we wanted to come up with a solution that would preserve this renowned fishing area for generations to come.”


So now, the question becomes whether or not the artificial structure will be as popular to fish as the original one that was in place when Ship Shoal 26 sat above the water.

That question will not be answered until the project is completed.

But the fact that an effort is being made means a lot to both fishing industry officials and the people who have fished the area for a long time.


“This had the potential to be a sad ending to a storied fishing spot, but now we have a tremendous amount of hard structure going in to replace habitat that is required to be removed,” said John Walther, the chairman of CCA-Louisiana’s Habitat Committee.

“This is the best outcome that could be achieved. It makes us happy,” added Houma native Robert Brock, who fished the area for many years. “It keeps a good thing going.”