退役地鐵車廂成魚兒家園
Retired NYC Subway cars Transform Into "Luxurious Condominiums" For Fish
退役地鐵車廂成魚兒家園
While the sight of an 18-ton subway car being dumped into the Atlantic Ocean may appear like an ecological disaster, it is quite the opposite. Instead of harming marine life, the sturdy steel structures submerged deep into the Atlantic Ocean transform into perfect artificial reefs that provide comfortable homes for all kinds of sea creatures.
把18噸重的地鐵車廂投入大西洋看似是在破壞生態，其實結果並非如此。沉入太平洋深海的堅固鋼製車廂不但沒有對海洋生物造成威脅，反而形成了完美的人造礁石，成爲了各種海洋生物的舒適的家園。
The idea of the unusual disposal method was inspired by the State of Delaware's artificial reef program. Started in 1995, it entailed sinking decommissioned tankers, naval ships and tugboats to the bottom of the Atlantic. According to officials, the program was necessary because of the loose sand and silt that make it impossible for natural reefs to form.
這個非同尋常的投放想法最初是由德拉華州人工礁石計劃發起的。這個計劃起始於1995年，向大西洋海底先後投了棄置的坦克、海軍船和拖船。據負責人稱，這個計劃非常必要，因爲海底鬆散的泥沙不利於形成自然礁石。
The artificial reefs are still constantly monitored and studied to ensure they don't pose any threat to the underwater sea life. Thus far, numerous sea creatures have successfully converted the carbon steel subway cars into their new homes. In many instances, the metal surfaces are covered in algae, making them almost unrecognizable.
負責人還在持續關注和研究這些投入海底的人工礁石，保證它們對海底生物沒有威脅。到現在已經有無數海洋生物成功把鋼鐵的車廂變爲它們的家。由於金屬的外皮都被海藻掩蓋，乍一看還真認不出它們的原來面目呢。
In addition to shelter, the reefs provide 400 times as much food per square foot as the natural sand bottom. The dual role that the reefs play is particularly beneficial to fish such as black sea bass, which are not fast swimmers and need help escaping from sharks and other predators. An added benefit is the economic boost it provides the various states thanks to the increase in recreational activities like scuba diving.
除了給海洋生物提供居住場所，這些人工礁石每平方英尺比自然泥沙海底產生的食物要多400倍。扮演雙重角色的人工礁石對巨鱸這類的魚是極其有利的，因爲巨鱸遊的很慢，需要有地方躲避鯊魚和其他捕食者。人工礁石還給許多州帶來了開展娛樂性潛水活動的經濟效益。
While the success of this unusual project has been known to a few, it has recently garnered public attention thanks to Stephen Mallon, a photographer who has followed the recycling efforts for many years. His recently held exhibition entitled "Patterns of Interest" vividly depicts a three-year journey of subway cars from carbon steel structures to robust marine abodes.
雖然現在已經有一些人瞭解到這個項目的取得的成功，它真正引起公衆注意還是要感謝這些年一直跟隨拍攝的攝像師Stephen Mallon。他最近舉行了一場名爲“有趣的形態”的攝影展，生動展示了三年來碳鋼地鐵車廂如何一點點成爲海洋生物牢固的家園。
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