By Kat Hickey | Reef Life Media Director
Reef Life Foundation, a 501c3 Non Profit EIN 81-3695216 was created as the grant writing company, as many of the global grant organizations only fund non-profits, this works logically as we receive increasing requests to donate our marine substrates. Global island communities, researchers, and struggling coastal regions contain Reef Life Foundations mission and core values: service to oceans, marine systems and next generation science, building young scientists through hands on education, we save what we love, and showing the beauty of oceans to young people, inspires the next waves of restoration energy!!
Update on our marine restoration site in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada:
Halifax Harbour in Canada is a highly degraded cove, located within an industrial shipping port. Pollutants cause the murky appearance of the water!
The fact that anything is able to grow, let alone thrive, in such a damaged area is quite inspiring. Our Oceanite has provided a viable substrate for different species of seaweed to grab onto (holdfast) allowing them to grow, reproduce, hold carbon, and provide food to the nearby marine life. Local marine life struggles to survive in Halifax cove, but not when there is Oceanite present. So far we have watched seaweed attach to our modules, reproduce, be almost completely eaten by local wildlife, and regrow to its original state.
Sea stars have declared our Halifax site as a birthing ground. Life begins anew on our Oceanite modules, giving Sea Star parents a safe place to reproduce and give birth. In the photo below you can see many small white sea stars, all of which were born on our Oceanite modules. Without our modules, these baby sea stars would very likely not have been born! We have also found numerous crabs and sea stars.
Please see attached photos for up close and personal ocean species home life!
“Oceanite solves the shortcomings of traditional artificial reefs, allowing us to provide immediate habitat for coral, sponges, crustaceans, and fish, kelp and seaweed farming substrates and the foundation for innovations within these industries for high use of kelp and seaweeds to be successful, globally impactful businesses who just need the agility and substance to grow their main materials, in the oceans, where entrepreneurs all over the planet need these site, species and function specific habitats.” -- Melody Saunders Brenna, CEO
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