The concept of using oil drilling platform rigs as artificial reefs began in 1978, when Exxon offered to donate a 2,200-ton oil drilling rig called the Subsea Production System to the state of Florida for use as an artificial reef. Florida accepted, and after two years of planning the SPS was severed and towed 300 miles from Lousiana's West Delta area to offshore of Franklin County. Within six years after SPS was relocated, Louisiana had established a similar program, and by 1990 Texas had sunk its first rig.

These programs mutually benefit both state and oil companies; in 1994 an estimated 3,600 structures drilled for oil and gas offshore of Lousiana alone - with about 2,500 of them slated for abandonment over the next 20 years, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. In both Louisiana and Texas fisherman have long relied on offshore platforms as de facto artificial reefs: in 1994 75% of all offshore fishing excursions from the Louisiana port had one or more of the platforms slated as a destination. In Texas, 87% of fishermen head for one or more of the over 800 platforms. Both commercial and recreational fishermen rely on the rigs to attract fish,and consequently have a significant interest in sinking the structures where they stand to form artificial reefs.

The oil companies win as well, for they are responsible for removing platforms and taking them ashore. By donating them to the state, oil companies save the $2 million removal cost and only have to clean and strip the structures. When Exxon sunk the oil platform West Cameron 616 in 1994, it actually saved $700,000, and gave half of that to the Lousiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to be put in a legislatively protected trust fund, who's interest goes to maintenance cost and fund research on reef biology.It was the 29th oil and gas structure off of the Louisiana coast to be converted into an artificial reef; while by 1994 Texas had 24 permitted sites.

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