Old subway cars used as artificial reefs

I must be sappy and/or have some weird obsession with subways, but this article really caught my eye.

Basically, they’re taking a bunch of old subway cars, fixing them up a bit (by removing the nasty chemicals, the windows/wheels/doors etc) and then dropping them into the ocean to create an artificial reef.

To some that may sound horribly environmentally unfriendly, but it actually is very good for the marine life.  Their habitat has been badly damaged and many species are endangered.  So by creating these artificial reefs, they foster an easy habitat for these species, and ensure protection.  Apparently“[t]he reefs attract fish because they provide protection from predators, and generate food like mussels, shrimp and crabs that quickly colonize the structure. About 95 percent of the seabed off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast is naturally bare sand, which is much less likely to attract fish, Tinsman said.”

It’s good for the economy, too.  More fish means more fishing, and often more tourism.  So by recycling these old subway cars it seems like most people win.

[Source: Canada.com]