Today’s good news comes from the Times of India and was sent to me by Noelle Granger. 

Thanks, Noelle

In 2008, Virginia sank 44 retired New York subway cars off Chincoteague; the 17-ton steel fleet expanded a fish reef alongside older cars and Army vehicles.

Times of India October 28, 2026

In June, 2008, 44 retired New York City subway cars were submerged into the Atlantic Ocean off Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The subway cars began a new chapter as part of an artificial fishing reef. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) carried out the deployment near Chincoteague in an all-day operation designed to expand Blackfish Bank Reef. New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority donated the stainless-steel cars, and they placed them in a grid pattern on the seabed. The commission reported that each car measured 50 feet and that the cars weighed 17 tons combined. Instead of creating a new reef, the operation expanded an established site that already contained retired subway cars and surplus military vehicles.

From New York’s subway system to Virginia’s seabed

The cars initially served New York City’s public transport network. Following retirement, they were repurposed as artificial reef material, adding physical structures to the underwater environment. The VMRC reported that such materials provide shelter for marine species and can help support a food web that attracts larger predatory fish. The agency presented the deployment as a way to expand habitat and recreational fishing opportunities, not as proof that fish populations had already increased because of the new structures.

The Blackfish Bank Reef lies 5.8 nautical miles southeast of Assateague Island, Maryland, off the coast of Chincoteague, Virginia. The 2008 deployment was the third major addition to the site documented in the commission’s announcement. In 1998, 40 surplus Army armored personnel carriers had been lowered there. 50 retired New York City “Redbird” subway cars followed in November 2003.

Together, the three deployments account for 134 vehicles: 94 subway cars and 40 armored personnel carriers. They were installed in separate operations over a decade, and the 17-ton figure refers to the combined reported weight of the 44 cars deployed in 2008.

How artificial reefs create underwater habitat

Artificial reefs are formed by placing suitable structures on the seabed to provide additional physical support and surfaces that marine organisms can colonize. These structures can create shelter for invertebrates and fish depending on the material, location, and environmental conditions. Additionally, the organisms living on or around the structure can become a part of the local food web. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection describes artificial reefs as structures that provide habitat on otherwise sandy seabeds and attract marine organisms and fish.

Meanwhile, for Blackfish Bank, the immediate purpose of the 2008 operation was to expand the existing fishing reef. According to the VMRC, the submerged cars have been deployed as structures that could attract gamefish, thus making the site more useful for recreational anglers.

Part of Virginia’s wider artificial reef program

The subway-car deployment formed part of a program that the VMRC had been developing since the early 1970s. By June 2008, the agency reported maintaining 23 artificial reefs throughout Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s coastal waters. These sites used a range of materials, including old concrete pipes, demolished bridge sections, pier remains, a lighthouse, subway cars, armored personnel carriers, and retired ships. Therefore, the project extended beyond a single unusual deployment, using different structures to create underwater habitats at several locations.

The Blackfish Bank deployment demonstrates how decommissioned infrastructure can be repurposed for marine habitat management. The materials used should be suitable for underwater use and prepared to minimize environmental risks. Artificial reefs, however, do not automatically guarantee increased fish populations, as their ecological effects depend on factors including water depth, existing habitat, species interactions, and long-term monitoring. Therefore, evaluating their success requires more than just counting the structures placed on the seabed. Researchers must also analyze which organisms colonize them, whether they support local ecosystems, and how their effects can change with time. The project offers one approach to combining habitat creation with recreational fishing, while highlighting the importance of assessing artificial reefs by their ecological performance rather than their size or the unusual origins of the materials used.

The good news in this story is that what could be in a landfill is now creating a healthy habitat. Today’s JohnKu talks about waste. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Recycle by John W. Howell © 2026

Dispose of big things

Like stainless cars and armor…

Where they will do good.