Our initiative is a comprehensive program dedicated to the protection and restoration of seagrass ecosystems along our coastal regions. Our facility has twelve 40,000 gallon production tanks, each capable of independent temperature control that will be used to produce land-based aquacultured seagrass and mangroves. This represents a comprehensive effort to address seagrass loss while simultaneously enhancing the capacity of coastal communities to withstand the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise. Our goal is to establish a land-based nursery for cultivating multiple species of native seagrass and mangroves to be used on near shore and coastal restoration projects. This is an on-the-ground restoration project that will provide seed stock for restoration projects that are ongoing and for future proposed projects that will support essential habitat for endangered species, listed species, native fish and invertebrate species including recreational and commercially important species and their prey.

There are multiple issues that are limiting the recovery and sustainability of seagrass meadows and mangrove forests that include but are not limited to hurricanes, coastal storms, flooding, beach erosion, human impact, water quality, global warming and sea level rise. Our land-based aquaculture facility will help circumvent these issues by providing a more resilient population of seagrass and mangrove colonies through selective breeding methods. We will establish more climate tolerant strains of seagrass by adjusting and growing plant stock in the water quality parameters to meet the current conditions in the geographic areas where they will eventually be deployed onto restoration sites. This process will help to rebuild a productive and sustainable habitat that will have a significant impact on seagrass benthic communities as well as threatened and endangered species and promote climate resilient ecosystems.There will be an outreach and educational component to our project utilizing local schools with Agriculture and Aquaculture programs at their institutions. Community outreach will be accomplished through a partnership with multiple education institutions within the state of Florida as well as the Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters in Marathon, Florida.