Marinelife Flourishes In Tappan Zee Graveyard At Shinnecock Artificial Reef In Hampton Bays

A stack of T-shirts John Capuano made a few years ago that read, “Tappan Zee Bridge Debris, Affordable Housing For Fish!” was originally a half-hearted joke he made with a friend at the State Department of Environmental Conservation. It’s now a reality.

Two nautical miles off the Shinnecock Inlet, black sea bass and porgies are calling a portion of the remains of the Tappan Zee Bridge home.

The bridge, which spanned the Hudson River north of New York City, was dismantled beginning in 2017, when it was replaced by the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Pieces of the old bridge were used across the coast to supplement a handful of artificial reefs.

“As soon as [the DEC] dropped those pieces at the beginning of summer, I was out there a week later to see what they looked like on the depth finder,” said Mr. Capuano, the captain of the Shinnecock Star charter fishing boat. “We caught sea bass on them immediately.”

The Shinnecock reef, which has existed for decades, is one of 12 artificial reefs off Long Island’s coast, and one of six reefs to receive a piece of the Tappan Zee this past spring. The dozen marine-life landing areas are made of old barges, armored vehicles, concrete towers, steel buoys and other miscellaneous recycled objects. The hope is that concrete and steel debris from the bridge will foster more undersea life.

“It takes a little time for fish to get interested, so it’ll be a couple years before you see blackfish and other structure-oriented fish,” Mr. Capuano explained. “Once mollusks start to grow, and sea anemones, little fish will hang around—and so will the big fish that eat the little fish.”

A few years ago, Mr. Capuano sent photos of the Tappan Zee Bridge demolition to his friend at the DEC, and asked what seemed like a strange question: whether the bridge could be recycled to add to the artificial reefs. “[The shirts] were a way to say, ‘Do something about it,’ y’know,” Mr. Capuano said.

But as it turns out, it wasn’t an odd request at all. The state has been establishing artificial reefs since 1949, using interlaced logs. Lately, decommissioned subway cars and oil rigs were chosen as durable replacements.

In April, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York’s largest artificial reef expansion initiative. The state used more than 1,000 tons of material—about 80 percent of the reef is comprised of the bridge, and the rest is made up of deconstructed Department of Transportation project materials—to bolster the reef. The approximate cost of the project was $5 million.

“Long Island’s economy thrives when there are fish for anglers to catch and recreational opportunities to explore marine life along the coast,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. “These artificial reefs are an investment in a stronger, more diverse marine ecosystem.”

The marine economy accounts for about 13 percent of goods and services produced on Long Island, and provides about 45,000 jobs.

Assessing whether the bridge would be a safe addition to the reef was important, keeping in mind other reef-building attempts that proved destructive. For instance, an estimated 700,000 tires were dumped off the coast of Florida in 1972, and instead of promoting sea life, the conservation effort turned into an underwater blight.

“In the ’70s, it was a common thought that tires could be used, only for scientists to later conclude that nothing would grow and [the tires] were leaching products,” said Bradley Peterson, a Stony Brook University professor working on the Shinnecock Inlet reef project. “Now there’s a tire removal program.”

To prevent damage, Mr. Peterson consulted the DEC about where to put the old bridge material to best suit the current ecosystem. He said he doesn’t foresee the recycled parts of the Tappan Zee bridge having a negative effect on the environment.

“Asphalt would’ve been the greatest concern,” Mr. Peterson said. “Metal is just going to rust until it crumbles away. Concrete lasts a long time, and the DEC has a stringent cleaning process.”

The National Reef Program and DEC Reef Program have guidelines for acceptable materials, which includes concrete.

“All metal signs, lighting and wiring were removed from the concrete and steel pieces,” said Kevin Frazier, a representative for the DEC program. “All rebar in the concrete was trimmed down to reduce diver hazards.”

Additionally, all substances deemed toxic by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are removed from reef materials.

“While all paint is not removed from reef material, all loose paint is removed.” said Katherine Brogan, a NOAA representative.

As for its impact so far, Joseph Warren, a professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, said he has been watching the project closely.

“Most of these pieces quickly become encrusted with cold-water corals, mussels, and other invertebrates,” Mr. Warren said.

The DEC funded Mr. Warren and several of his colleagues to conduct a fish study a few years ago. The team investigated questions like: What fish are using the reefs? Do surrounding areas become more attractive after creating the reef? Should you build one large reef or many small ones? Does it matter what the materials are made of?

Efficiency aside, the reefs provide a structure where animals can reproduce and survive in an area where they wouldn’t, Mr. Warren said, noting that is a key way they can diversify the ecosystem and protect marine life, including lobster and black sea bass.

The artificial reef has been a fishing hub for Mr. Capuano's 42-foot fishing boat over the years. He said hitting the fishing limit for black sea bass—between three and seven fish of a least 15 inches, depending on the time of year—by the reef is easy. While the population stands at 240 percent above the federal goal, the same can’t be said for other important species.

This fall, the University of Connecticut attempted to rebound the Atlantic blackfish stock on the East Coast, of which 90 percent were harvested for recreational purposes. As a result, blackfish has taken a hit in recent years due to overfishing.

Atlantic cod is also significantly below target population levels, according to NOAA. However, another reef project is being considered near the Shinnecock Inlet that could combat this problem.

“[My friend and I have] been talking about a 12-mile site,” Mr. Capuano said. “There would need to be special permits and ecological studies done. It’s much deeper, so it could help populations of even more different types of species, like mako sharks and cod—deep-water fish.”

As for the Shinnecock artificial reef, it may be a Tappan Zee Bridge graveyard, but fishermen, like Mr. Capuano, are hopeful that as the years go by, the graveyard will be a spot for marine life to flourish.

“I think things are going to get better and better,” he said.