In 2009, Jacksonville sank the former Coast Guard tender Spike in 100 feet of water; one year later, a REEF diver counted 16 fish species, up from just 6

Some of the most compelling conservation stories begin far from the lab. They can come from a diver counting fish 100 feet below the surface with a slate and pencil. In a field report published by the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) in July 2010, a retired Coast Guard tender called the Spike was sunk off Jacksonville in 2009 to become an artificial reef, according to REEF Board of Trustee member Anna DeLoach. A year later, it was teeming with life.

A ship with a second life