habitat

Last week the New York Times ran a story about the Redbird Reef, an artificial reef off the Delaware coast made of more than seven hundred old subway cars. The New York City subway cars which give the reef its name are likened to "luxury condominiums for fish" by Jeff Tinsman, the artificial reef program manager for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The habitat has been such a boon to fisherman that Delaware is having difficulty getting more cars as neighboring coastal states rush to follow its example. The article includes links to a slideshow.

After several hours of transit we arrive at the next dive site for the ROV. ROV stands for remotely operated vehicle, the workhorse of deep seafloor research and the primary focus of this cruise.