An early attempt in the science of creating artificial reefs for Throwback Thursday. Here’s a shot from out in Santa Monica Bay from the late 1950’s showing an abundance of Pile Perch on one of the many artificial reefs created by a variety of groups and municipalities out of a variety of materials during the 1950’s.

When the Red Car Line was phased out of existence in Los Angeles, the old cars were simply pushed into the Santa Monica Bay to create new aggregation spots for recreational fishing purposes. Public transportation’s loss was going to be the oceans gain. Not surprisingly, these artificial reefs didn’t hold up long against the forces of the ocean and are entirely erased from the Bay now. It was however, creative thinking to help enhance the quality of habitat in the Southern California bight.