Old Subway Cars Now Luxury Condos for Fish

Ever wondered where old subway cars go to die? You might not be too surprised to learn that there’s a subway car graveyard off the coast of Delaware. Before you get your panties in a wad, consider this: fish are moving into these subway cars so fast, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control can’t get more cars down there fast enough. Jeff Tinsman, the artificial reef program manager, has called them ‘luxury condominiums for fish’.

Having planted a thriving community in what was once an underwater desert, state marine officials are faced with the sort of overcrowding, crime and traffic problems more common to terrestrial cities.

The summer flounder and bass have snuggled so tightly on top and in the nooks of the subway cars that Mr. Tinsman is trying to expand the housing capacity. He is having trouble, however, because other states, seeing Delaware’s successes, have started competing for the subway cars, which New York City provides free.

I never thought I’d view tankers dumping old junk in the ocean as a good thing. Not only are the subway cars being recycled and scores of fish getting brand new homes, but states are fighting over the opportunity to do it themselves. Pretty awesome.

Link [New York Times] via [DVICE]

Photo: Tim Shaffer for The New York Times

Related Posts:

Pavlov’s Fish: Researchers Train Fish to Swim Into Nets For Harvest
NYC Gets 105 New Public Recycling Bins
After Sewage Spill Cleanup, Fish in Lake Washington Evolving in Reverse
Officials in California Filling Pools with Mosquito Fish
UK Fishermen Dump Catch Overboard to Make More Money