The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is still clearing tires washing up on Carteret County shores after recent Atlantic storms.
Division staff, aided by inmates from Duplin Correctional Center in Kenansville and Carteret Correctional Center in Newport, has removed an estimated 2,900 tires from Bogue Banks since Sept. 8 after Hurricane Katia passed.
The staff estimated it removed more than 1,500 tires from Bogue Banks following Hurricane Irene.
Officials say tires may continue to wash ashore as more tropical storms pass. Also, as winter storms begin, they may uncover tires that had been buried in sand.
In the 1970s, the Division of Marine Fisheries constructed artificial reefs made of tires for fish habitat and to produce attractive fishing grounds. The practice has been discontinued for some time.
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