They dumped two million tires into the sea to create a habitat for fish: years later, everything has changed

Home NFL NBA Soccer MLB Boxing More sports Lifestyle World News They dumped two million tires into the sea to create a habitat for fish: years later, everything has changedThe Osborne Reef project aimed to turn old tires into a new refuge for fish

Follow MARCA on GoogleCompartir en FacebookCompartir en TwitterCompartir en TelegramCompartir en WhatsappWorld News Confucius, philosopher: “The noble man is characterized by acting first and speaking afterward”World News Socrates, Greek philosopher: “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature”What began in the seventies as an initiative to give a second life to millions of used tires ended up becoming an environmental problem that Florida is still trying to solve. Off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, enormous quantities of tires were dumped into the sea with the intention of creating an artificial reef for fish.

The exact figures vary according to the sources. Documented operations between 1972 and 1973 counted at least 240,000 tires, while the Florida Department of Environmental Protection estimates that between one and two million may have been deposited in the area. The goal was twofold: to get rid of used tires and to create a new marine habitat.

The problem appeared over the years. The tires had been grouped together and secured using fastening systems that eventually deteriorated. Corrosion, ocean currents, storms, and hurricanes caused many tires to come loose and begin moving along the ocean floor.

Instead of remaining grouped together and becoming a stable refuge for wildlife, some tires ended up coming into contact with the area’s natural reefs. As they moved along the seabed, they could strike the corals and cause damage to these ecosystems.

The situation forced a complete change in the project’s objective. What was supposed to be an artificial structure to support marine life ended up becoming a gigantic cleanup operation. The first removal campaigns began in the early 2000s, and since then hundreds of thousands of tires have been recovered.

Work is currently ongoing. According to data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, by 2025 more than half a million tires had been removed, although many still remain on the seafloor. A state contract keeps the recovery work going, and the project remains active in 2026.

Cleaning is not easy either. Some tires have remained underwater for so long that different species of coral have grown on them. Before removing them, the teams have to separate some of these colonies and transfer them to natural reefs in an attempt to preserve them.