jackson6745

SPS KILLER
Location
NJ
Rating - 99%
201   2   0
Kathy, there are tire fields over here that I fish often. They hold a great amounts of all kinds of fish. I wonder what exactly about the tire is harmful to marine life???
 

Psycho graphic

Trouble Maker!
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
I would think there are some things in the make up of them leaching out, there are many components to the make up of a tire to give it traction along with longevity. Just imagine how much damage a large truck tire can do rollong over a reef breaking and crushing everything. Now multiply this by a football field of loose tires roaming the bottom.
 

sporty

Member
Location
Brooklyn,ny
Rating - 100%
8   0   0
I think thats how the rockaway reef was formed -tires ,concrete,etc.
Even though I would'nt call it a reef as we know them,but it does provide a habitat for a lot of marine life.
 

jackson6745

SPS KILLER
Location
NJ
Rating - 99%
201   2   0
Sporty,

Sections of the Rockaway Reef, Atlantic Beach reef, Highlands reefs, South channel in the Ambrose shipping lane etc.....All have tires dumped. They're all man-made reefs + wrecks that hold loads of life. This is why I question that article. Is the damage from the tires moving with the current, or leaching chemicals? We never had problems here (that I know of) with chemicals from tires killing marine life.
 

KathyC

Moderator
Location
Barnum Island
Rating - 100%
200   0   0
This is why I question that article. Is the damage from the tires moving with the current, or leaching chemicals? We never had problems here (that I know of) with chemicals from tires killing marine life.

I'd think the movement of the tires would be the bigger issue. The chemicals that are leeched would dissapate with the current and not harm the forming reef though they would ultimately end up adding to the pollution of our oceans...
 

zahner

Senior Member
Location
NYC - 10026
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
i think the problem in this case is that the tires were just dumped without being anchored well enough and the current is moving them around. 2 million tires is a whole lot of tires, i think they also dropped too many in one place.
we dove on a wreck surrounded by a tire reef in Hawaii and there was lots of coral encrusted on the tires and tons of cool creatures, esp nudis. there the tires were set in concrete troughs (7 tires each). they had problems with rough weather when they tried to drop the tires and they ended up scattered around instead of in neat stacks, so they later sank a boat there as well.
 

Attachments

  • St. Anthony Jan 12 2007 002 small.jpg
    St. Anthony Jan 12 2007 002 small.jpg
    17.2 KB · Views: 135
  • St. Anthony Jan 12 2007 011 small.jpg
    St. Anthony Jan 12 2007 011 small.jpg
    32.1 KB · Views: 132
Location
Nueva York
Rating - 100%
18   0   0
"No one can say with certainty why the idea doesn't work, but one problem is that, unlike large ships that have been sunk for reefs, tires are too light. They can be swept away with tides and currents from powerful storms, and marine life doesn't have a chance to attach."

I think the main concern is the tires drifting from where they were intended to stay. The article also mentions the leeching of chemicals into the ocean, but the aticle made it sound like its just a fear and not exactly proven.
 

KathyC

Moderator
Location
Barnum Island
Rating - 100%
200   0   0
The article also mentions the leeching of chemicals into the ocean, but the article made it sound like its just a fear and not exactly proven.

Common sense tells me that if I need to purchase a specific garbage can (Rubbermaid Brute) to store my salt water due to other types of plastic/rubberized garbage cans leeching chemcials into my SW..I can't imagine how rubber tires, that I imagine must be made with some sort of petroleum based something-or-other in them, wouldn't do any damage at all over time?
I'd like to think that the powers that came up with the original idea gave this some thought before dumping all these tires into our oceans....
 

ReeferGoneMad

I Smoke Live Rocks
Location
Brooklyn
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
They do the same thing with the subway cars. Those things attract a lot of life. Its weird but it works. the tire thing is I guess a good and a bad thing. Giving a home to animals and then leaching chemicals back. I would think of all the pollution that boats make the tires would probably have minimal effect when it comes to polluting the water.
 

Domboski

No Coral Here
Location
Montclair, NJ
Rating - 100%
237   0   0
They experimented with this when I lived in Florida and it didn't turn out the way they wanted. The tires eventually got away from the anchoring and washed up on beaches and the wildlife that made their home on the tire reefs was not exactly the type of wildlife they were hoping to illicit.

Can't knock them for trying though. I'm sure like any idea, they will eventually get it to work.
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top