After months of planning, a 70-foot-long steel cockroach created by a Mississippi pest control company now sits at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
A partnership between Bruno Milanese, the owner of Ocean Springs-based Bay Pest Control, and Mississippi Fishing Banks on a new artificial reef came to fruition on Monday. The steel cockroach was welded to a 150-foot tug boat, floated off the coast of Biloxi, and sunk 100 feet underwater.
Per the National Wildlife Federation, the Gulf of Mexico accounts for approximately 67% of the nation’s total oyster harvest. However, the northern Gulf of Mexico is believed to have lost well over half of its historic oysters, primarily a result of overharvesting from destructive dredging practices that also degraded marine habitats.
The Mississippi Artificial Reef Plan was set into motion in 1999, and the nearshore initiative has been particularly beneficial in revitalizing sports fishing and other ocean life after ecosystem damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The steel cockroach is expected to become a breeding ground, food source, and structural haven for marine life in the Gulf.
