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New York
City Subway
Cars Sunk as
Fish Reef
off Ocean
City
By ELIZABETH
M. PIAZZA
Capital News
Service
OCEAN CITY-
The last
stop for
more than 40
New York
City subway
cars will be
the Bass
Grounds Reef
- the bottom
of the
Atlantic
Ocean,
10-miles off
the coast of
Ocean City.
The Maryland
Artificial
Reef
Initiative,
the Ocean
City Reef
Foundation,
New York
City Transit
Authority
and the town
of Ocean
City have
partnered to
submerge
retired
subway cars
for the
creation of
an
artificial
reef that
will provide
a habitat
for marine
organisms.
Assuming
cooperative
weather, the
cars should
sink off the
coast early
Wednesday
morning.
Last May,
more than 40
cars were
submerged at
the Jackspot
Reef, 20
miles off
the Ocean
City coast.
"We know
it's going
to be a
success
because it's
been a
success on
other places
on the East
Coast," said
Marta Beman,
administrator
for the
Ocean City
Reef
Foundation.
From 2001 to
2003, 1,269
Redbird
subway cars
were
submerged
along the
coasts of
New Jersey,
Delaware,
Virginia,
South
Carolina and
Georgia.
The Ocean
City Reef
Foundation,
a non-profit
organization,
constructs
artificial
reefs from
man-made
materials.
The
foundation
places
approximately
12
artificial
reefs each
year, funded
by private
donations.
"They are a
hot
commodity
with the
fishermen,"
Beman said.
The growing
fish
populations
offer more
opportunity
for charter
fishing
boats.
Prior to
placement,
doors,
windows,
light
fixtures,
bulbs and
anything
that could
float are
removed from
the cars.
Any part
that has
grease or
oil is
either
removed or
cleaned. The
entire
process
takes about
two days.
New York
City Transit
has been
pleased with
the outcome,
said Michael
Zacchea,
assistant
chief
operations
officer of
asset
recovery for
the New York
City Transit
Authority.
It's a
double-header
because it
is cheaper
for the
transit
authority to
do this and
it is
positive for
the
environment,
he said.
At 60 feet
long, 10
feet wide
and 9 feet
in height,
the cars
offer hiding
places for
fish and
surface area
for the
growth of
marine
organisms,
such as
mussels,
anemones and
corals.
These
organisms
provide food
and habitat
for a
variety of
fish and
shellfish.
Each car is
expected to
last for 50
to 60 years.
Capt. Monty
Hawkins, a
board member
of the Ocean
City Reef
Foundation
and captain
of the
Morning
Star, a
charter
fishing
boat, has
seen a
resurgence
of fish like
sea bass and
tautog after
the Jackspot
Reef was
created.
"It's
unbelievable
how much
better the
fishing can
be with
artificial
reefs,"
Hawkins
said.
The idea for
the program
originated
in 2000 when
the transit
authority
was retiring
a
significant
portion of
its fleet -
1,300 at
once.
Zacchea
spoke with
the Army
Corps of
Engineers,
who
suggested
that they
would be
useful as
artificial
reefs.
Initially
concerned
that the
cars
contained
asbestos,
Ocean City
did not
participate
in the 2001
program.
"Once it's
underwater,
it
[asbestos]
doesn't
present any
threat to
the
environment
or marine
habitat,"
Zacchea
said.
Each
shipment of
cars cost
$26,000 -
$600 per
car. The
Ocean City
Reef
Foundation
is raising
money for
two more
subway reefs
at Great
Eastern Reef
and Isle of
Wight. |
