00:00Old boats, subway cars, even chunks of concrete. They may sound like junk, but off the Jersey Shore coastline, they're the building blocks of something actually pretty wild. Today, we're in Belmar, New Jersey, as we head out to sea to show you how artificial reefs are bringing new life beneath the surface.
00:19Shark 71, reef bound. Hey, good morning. Standing by for your 1130 opening. Just a few miles off the coast, what looks like an underwater scrapyard is actually a thriving ecosystem. We've got sea bass, Jonah crabs, lobsters, spider crab. We're creating habitat for things, you know, small organisms, algae, copepods, crabs.
00:44New Jersey's artificial reef program started back in 1987 with just four reef sites. Now there are 17 spanning from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Almost 65% of all bottom fishing that occurs off the coastline of New Jersey is occurring on an artificial reef. And it's not just fish that are biting. Tourists are hooked too.
01:07All of these towns. All of these towns. All of these towns that are associated with inlets along our coast have a reef site that supports tourism, people coming to the area.
01:17Each vessel is stripped clean before it's given a second life or fish underwater. They need the right water temperature. They need food, things to eat, and they need a place to live.
01:27Like this subway car built back in the 1950s, the reefs are monitored seasonally, lifting traps once a week during the spring, summer and fall.
01:36We can tell things like what fish species are utilizing a reef during a certain time of year during those three seasons, what those species are, what the abundance of those species looks like.
01:48This isn't just a local effort. Reef programs like this stretch across the East Coast, creating a network of habitats that's making waves far beyond New Jersey.
01:57And ultimately, what's tossed away up here becomes a new world down below.
02:03For AccuWeather in Belmar, New Jersey, I'm Allie Reed.
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