A caisson gate, a massive steel barrier normally used to hold back water at the end of a dry dock, was towed off the Jersey Shore, lowered 125 feet underwater, and left there on purpose, with the expectation that it will remain for generations. According to a 2020 New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife report, state marine fisheries staff deployed a 150-foot caisson gate on the Deepwater Reef site on June 8, 2020. It's resting 125 feet in the water and 30 feet over the seafloor. The deployment raises questions about what was sunk, what now inhabits it, and whether the science supports the practice.
What's a caisson gate?
