August 14, 2025 — Beneath the Atlantic surface, concrete pyramids, stripped subway cars, and massive steel skeletons of vessels lie purposefully placed across the ocean floor repurposed into bustling undersea metropolises. These are artificial reefs, human-made sanctuaries giving new life to marine ecosystems and new opportunities for anglers.
Nearly all of these reef structures have roots in the Sport Fish Restoration Act, paid by manufacturers of fishing tackle and a tax on motorboat fuel. State agencies utilize these Sport Fish Restoration federal excise tax funds and funds from state fishing license sales to create a network of artificial reefs that dot the Atlantic coast.
New Jersey: Reefs from Rust and Rubble
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) began their artificial reef program in 1984 and has since created 17 artificial reef sites. Creating the reefs takes science, ingenuity, and often recycled materials. Artificial reef building materials have ranged from concrete reef balls to decommissioned New York City subway cars, and even retired Army tanks. Before entering the water, artificial reef materials go through a rigorous process stripping the material down to ensure no impact to water quality. Recycled building materials are inspected. Old Army tanks are stripped of fuel and oils. Subway cars lose their windows and wiring. What’s left is bare concrete or metal that is durable and colonizable by marine life.
Once these reef materials are deployed to the ocean bottom, Mother Nature wastes no time. Drop reef material, and within weeks, algae take hold. Months pass, invertebrates and fish begin to settle in. Within a year or two, the reef is real in every biological sense. “New Jersey’s reef sites are a hot spot for anglers with sportfish species like sea bass, porgy, tautog, and summer flounder calling the sites home,” said Pete Clarke from the NJDEP’s Artificial Reef Program.
New Jersey’s reefs are strategically located along the coast so that sites are within easy boat range of New Jersey ocean inlets making the sites accessible to anglers. Some reefs lay within two miles of the coast while others are 23 miles offshore offering users a variety of trip lengths and sport fish species to encounter. Reef communities can also vary depending on the season. “These reefs are important waypoints for migrating sport fish along the Atlantic Coast,” adds Clarke. Along this waypoint network of artificial reefs, it is common for state agencies to collaborate with other state agencies to share information or access to large reef building materials. “I know that an old New York City subway car utilized for a reef in South Carolina or concrete reef balls deployed in Delaware benefits the entire network of artificial reefs, ultimately it helps New Jersey’s reefs and anglers.”