Dear Source:
About 30 years ago, the staff of the Division of Fish and Wildlife office in Frederiksted, together with high school students assigned to the office for the summer, prepared many discarded automobile tires for dropping at Butler Bay, to create an artificial reef. Large holes were cut in the tries to let air escape as the tires would sink. Several tires were bound together to stabilize the tires when dropped in the water, and the spaces within the bound tires would provide good places for fish to hide, breed, or to provide territories for fish. All surfaces of the tires would provide good surfaces for algae and other organisms to grow; providing food sources for many fish.
This would be a good way to dispose of unwanted tires, for productive purposes. There are many near-shore places in the island waters where this practice would be useful.
John Yntema
Ithaca, New York
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