How To Protect The Ocean

Crowdfunding Innovating Seagrass Restoration: The Underwater Seed Harvester Project

Broadcast on:: 20 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: other

In this episode, we explore the crucial role of seagrass habitats in coastal ecosystems and their importance in combating climate change. Join us as we discuss Project Seagrass and their innovative initiative to create a seed harvester designed to efficiently gather seeds from seagrass meadows. Dr. Richard Unsworth, the chief scientific officer of Project Seagrass, shares insights into the challenges of restoring degraded seagrass habitats and the potential impact of their crowdfunding campaign aimed at developing this essential technology. Discover how you can contribute to the preservation of these vital ecosystems and join us in supporting this important cause. Don't miss this enlightening conversation about protecting our oceans and the future of seagrass restoration!

Support the Project: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/underwater-seagrass-seed-harvester?__cf_chl_rt_tk=Ms7lI_hTDLz3947auDBLvQtwQKoVaGaVBOs6f9eM6_8-1726751063-0.0.1.1-8276

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Project Seagrass and the Development of an Underwater Seed Harvester

Project Seagrass is leading innovative conservation efforts aimed at restoring degraded seagrass habitats worldwide. One of their most exciting initiatives is the development of an underwater seed harvester designed to automate the collection of seagrass seeds. This project is crucial for enhancing restoration efforts, as seagrass meadows play a vital role in coastal ecosystems.

Importance of Seagrass Habitats

Seagrass habitats are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. They significantly contribute to coastal biodiversity, provide security for coastlines, and serve as important blue carbon habitats, meaning they sequester carbon and help combat climate change. However, many of these habitats are currently facing degradation due to various environmental pressures, including poor water quality and human activities.

The Need for Automation

Traditionally, collecting seagrass seeds has been a labor-intensive process, requiring volunteers to wade, snorkel, or dive in shallow waters to gather seeds manually. This method is not only time-consuming but also limited by the number of people who can participate. Project Seagrass recognized the need for a more efficient approach to seed collection to scale up restoration efforts.

The Underwater Seed Harvester

The underwater seed harvester aims to mechanize the seed collection process. Drawing inspiration from a prototype developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science two decades ago, Project Seagrass is building upon this foundation to create a more effective tool suitable for varying environmental conditions. The harvester will operate by "giving the seagrass a haircut," cutting the seagrass shoots at a specific height to collect seeds without damaging the underlying roots or rhizomes.

Research and Development

Before moving forward with the harvester, Project Seagrass conducted extensive research to ensure that the cutting process would not negatively impact the seagrass. They collaborated with regulators in Wales to develop a series of experimental trials, comparing the health of seagrass that had been cut with that of untouched meadows. The results showed no significant negative impact, confirming that the seagrass could recover quickly after being pruned.

Future Plans

With the prototype successfully tested, Project Seagrass is now focused on securing funding through a crowdfunding campaign to build a fully operational version of the seed harvester. Once funded, they plan to work with engineering partners to finalize the design and conduct further tests in the upcoming summer. The ultimate goal is to create a reliable tool that can be used not only in the UK but also in other regions facing similar seagrass restoration challenges.

The Importance of Seagrass and the Underwater Seed Harvester Project

Seagrass habitats are vital coastal ecosystems that play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and combating climate change. Often referred to as the "canary in the coal mine" for marine environments, they indicate the overall health of coastal ecosystems. Unfortunately, seagrass meadows are facing significant degradation worldwide due to various factors, including poor water quality and habitat loss.

Why Seagrass Matters

Biodiversity: Seagrass meadows are among the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, providing essential habitat and nursery grounds for numerous marine species, including fish, invertebrates, and other wildlife.
Coastal Protection: Seagrasses help stabilize coastlines by reducing erosion and providing a buffer against storm surges. This is particularly important in the context of rising sea levels and increasing storm intensity due to climate change.
Blue Carbon: Seagrass meadows are significant carbon sinks, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping mitigate climate change. They store carbon in their biomass and in the sediment beneath them, making them critical in the fight against global warming.

The Challenge of Seed Collection

To restore degraded seagrass habitats, it is essential to collect and replant seagrass seeds. Traditionally, this process has involved volunteers wading, snorkeling, or diving to gather seeds, which can be labor-intensive and limited by the number of available volunteers. The manual collection of seeds is not only time-consuming but also poses challenges in terms of safety and efficiency.

The Underwater Seed Harvester Project

Recognizing the need for a more efficient method of seed collection, Project Seagrass has initiated the development of an underwater seed harvester. This innovative technology aims to automate the seed collection process, making it quicker and more efficient.

Building on Previous Research: The concept of an underwater seed harvester is not entirely new. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science developed a prototype 20 years ago, but Project Seagrass is adapting and improving upon this design to suit different environmental conditions.
Prototype Development: The team at Project Seagrass has conducted extensive trials to ensure that the harvester does not negatively impact the seagrass. They have demonstrated that cutting the seagrass to a certain height—akin to giving it a "haircut"—does not harm the plant and allows for the collection of seeds that float to the surface during specific times of the year.
Efficiency and Scale: The harvester is designed to be towed behind a vessel at a controlled speed, allowing for the collection of a significant number of seeds in a short amount of time. In healthy seagrass meadows, there can be anywhere from 100 to 10,000 seeds per square meter, meaning that the potential for seed collection is immense.
Future Plans: Once the crowdfunding campaign is successful, the team plans to finalize the design and test the harvester in the field. They aim to refine the technology further and explore its applicability in various regions around the world, ultimately contributing to the restoration of seagrass habitats globally.

Conclusion

The underwater seed harvester project represents a significant step forward in seagrass restoration efforts. By automating the seed collection process, Project Seagrass aims to enhance the efficiency of restoration activities, ultimately leading to healthier coastal ecosystems. Supporting this initiative through crowdfunding not only aids in the development of this innovative technology but also contributes to the broader goal of conserving and restoring vital seagrass habitats worldwide.

The initial prototype of the seed harvester developed by Project Seagrass has provided promising results regarding its impact on seagrass health. Through a series of trials, researchers found that cutting the seagrass to collect seeds does not negatively affect its overall health, effectively demonstrating that this process is akin to giving the seagrass a "haircut."

Key Findings from the Prototype Trials

Methodology of the Trials: The team conducted experiments comparing areas of seagrass that were cut using the prototype harvester against areas that remained untouched. They established transect lines underwater to monitor the health of the seagrass over time. Divers were involved in both cutting the seagrass with shears and using the prototype sled to collect seeds.
Results of the Cutting: The results indicated no significant difference in the health of the seagrass between the cut areas and the natural populations that had not been impacted. This finding is crucial as it suggests that the seagrass can withstand this form of harvesting without suffering detrimental effects.
Growth Rates: Seagrass is known for its resilience and rapid growth. After the cutting, new shoots began to emerge quickly, with growth rates of three to four centimeters in just a few weeks during the peak summer period. This rapid turnover reinforces the idea that cutting the seagrass merely stimulates growth rather than harming it.
Ecological Context: The natural grazing behavior of various marine animals, such as turtles and geese, further supports the notion that seagrass can recover from cutting. These animals regularly graze on seagrass, and the plants have adapted to this natural form of pruning. The prototype's cutting method mimics this natural process, allowing the seagrass to thrive post-harvest.
Regulatory Approval: The successful trials have also led to increased confidence among regulators. Initially, there was concern about the potential impact of cutting seagrass, but the evidence gathered from the trials has helped to alleviate these fears. The regulators in Wales, who were initially apprehensive, have begun to understand that the cutting method is not harmful and can be a sustainable practice for seed collection.

Oftentimes when we protect the planet and we start to look at the ocean and restore Habitats and protect habitats, there are a lot of challenges that come in that way And oftentimes we have to automate things to make sure that we can do things more efficiently and quicker I mean today is one of those those times where we are looking at a project from project seagrass To have a seed harvester To help gather seeds from seagrass meadows and be able to help the use those seeds to restore in other places Because there are a lot of seagrass habitats to this day They're still being degraded and we need to restore them as many of you know seagrass habitats are extremely important coastal habitats They they contribute to biodiversity. They're one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet As well as our security of our coastline and their great blue carbon habitat meaning that they sequester carbon So it's great in the fight against climate change So it's always important to save these and protect these seagrass habitats and project seagrass Is here to do that And they're on they came on the podcast. I asked them on the podcast because I saw they're doing a A crowd funder for this technology to help better restore seagrass habitats They have a they want to create and build a seed harvester for seagrasses And I think it was important to help them with their crowd funder So I thought I'd have Dr. Richard Unsworth who is the scientific officer the chief scientific officer for seagrass Project seagrass on the podcast to discuss This this project and this crowd funder so that you can have more information and if you you feel comfortable and you're able to I recommend you donate. I'm going to be donating as well. Um, so I recommend that you donate to this project But here is the the episode on the seed harvester. Enjoy the episode. Let's start the show Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another exciting episode of the how to protect the ocean podcast I'm your host Andrew luen and this is the podcast where you find out what's happening with the ocean How you can speak up for the ocean and what you can do to live for a better ocean by taking action Now today's episode We have a very special one because we don't get to do this all the time One of the things that I did want to do when I started this podcast was be able to help people complete their projects and be able to Communicate those projects and with project seagrass since the get go I've been I've always wanted to be involved in helping them spread their word because they've done such a great job at You know building a network and being part of a network of seagrass researchers and and practitioners to help protect and restore seagrass Around the world not just in the UK where they're based and here they have a project that they're crowdfunding for to build A prototype of a seed harvester to actually use an underwater seed harvester to harvest seagrass seeds And be able to use them to restore seagrass in other places and help You know degraded habitats get better and get healthier. So this is a really important episode I'm not going to do much of an intro today My big call to action today is if you can and you're able to donate Please go to the link in the show notes or in the description depending on where you're watching this or listening to this And feel free to donate they have about 10 days left as of this posting this recording And uh, it's really important that you do. So I appreciate anybody who does this Here's the interview with dr. Rich at Unsworth talking about the underwater seed harvester to restore seagrasses Enjoy and we'll talk to you after Richard welcome to the how to protect the ocean podcast. Are you ready to talk about seagrass? Yes, always happy to talk seagrass and i'd love to be back on this on the show We we which has a few years ago and it's it's nice to catch up again to talk about some of the The more novel things that that we're up to Absolutely. I can't wait to talk about this project This is and we're going to be talking about a crowdfunding project that project seagrass is putting on It is called underwater sea harvester to restore seagrass This is something that's pretty innovative. Has there been anything like this that you've seen before? Well, yes, it has to be honest. It's it's uh, we we didn't um, lead the way here The Virginia Institute of Marine Science actually led the way with with something like this um, 20 years ago and they they built a sort of uh, a prototype system Where they were working in very very sheltered and consistently shallow habitats and they were able to do something with a little bit more of a sort of A more simple mechanism and uh, we we couldn't we couldn't facilitate that so because we're working slightly different less Uh, stable conditions. So we're building on their progress essentially Very nice. I love that. I love that. We're going to talk more about the project seagrass's project about seagrass, of course Um, and I can't wait to do that. Uh, but why don't we just Step back a little bit. I just want people. I just want to remind people of what you do and who you are So why don't you just let us know who you are and what you do. So I'm uh, Richard Unsworth uh, associate professor at Swansea university but I'm also a the chief uh, uh, science officer for for project seagrass. So project seagrass is the the only uh, internationally focused charity that's completely dedicated to um, saving the world seagrass. That's that's all we do we uh, we do uh, research we do uh, um, conservation whether the That broader aim of trying to uh, conserve and bring back these habitats around the world It's amazing and the work that you guys have done has been absolutely amazing Uh, you continue to lead, uh, I feel like a lot of the the In of like I guess that the the initiatives that are going around with seagrass I mean, I we've had uh, a part a lot of of your team on the brought on the podcast in the past to talk about You know mapping seagrass and and sort of working at workshops with seagrass And it's been absolutely amazing to see the progress of the of the organization just growing and building and I just uh, I love I love seeing that so super happy to have you back to to be able to talk about another uh, incredible project So where did this so the idea I guess came from this this initial prototype Um, but where where did it build off from like why did you guys decide? Hey, this is something that we can build upon Uh, and let's try putting ourselves in in the the tech world a little bit and and build it on What would that first prototype so as it stands? Each each year we we and other organizations send lots of people out into the the shallow waters around europe America the places around the world collecting seagrass seeds Um, these seagrass seeds are not like you're not picking individual seeds, but you're picking a uh, a spade of seeds think of a something a bit more analogous to a um a group of seeds on a A stem of wheat yeah So we're we're picking those reproductive shoots containing those spades from cus mellows um in shallow waters for replanting this this vital habitat and Sometimes that's people wading In shallow water sometimes it's people snorkeling sometimes it's people diving but the reality here is that um It's hard work. There's a lot of effort that goes into collecting these seeds it's Managing people is is a lot of work But we're fortunate enough to have a lot of volunteers and people who want to come and help and get involved with that but still it means that Improving seagrass restoration making it bigger is very much dependent upon how many people you can get involved and you know that there are limitations around that sometimes in terms of safety in terms of other other factors playing into it So to actually think bigger We needed to to find a way that we could collect these seeds in a more automated mechanized manner and Obviously the idea of taking some sort of glorified lawn mower to some cus to collect some seagrass seeds Is quite a horrific idea, but that that's what we're uh We're talking about here and We looked at the system that that have been developed in in Virginia and We we we we spoke with the the regulators in uh in whales in the uk um about developing something like this and that you know, Unsurprisingly, they were pretty much horrified at the idea of us taking a cutting device to uh cus On one hand, we're saying we need to protect seagrass and on the other hand, we're saying oh Can we take a lawn mower to it So there is a bit of uh a mismatch there, shall we say but what we were actually advocating for is is having a um Not a lawn mower that cuts the seagrass to really short but something that basically just gives the seagrass a haircut and that haircut is a sort of um 20 centimeter depth length seagrass and the idea here is that particular parts of the the summer period you get a huge bloom of Of these seeds being produced by by seagrass and at particular time Of that period they'll be floating up into the water column sticking proudly out and at that point in time if you can Basically give the the seagrass a haircut at a particular height Then you'll collect a huge amount of these uh of these seagr seeds But there's this this sort of fear of um of impacting the uh the seagrass So we had a bit of a step back and what we did is we we developed a very sort of um basic prototype shall we call it of uh a cutting machine and We developed with with the the regulator in whales natural resources whales together with them We developed a whole experimental project of like how we could Um determine whether this this thing was going to impact the seagrass or not So where we had a whole load of uh transex lines under the water uh that we set up that were permanently marked And we had divers going along some of these with a pair of shears cutting the seagrass Um we had somewhere we had this um this sled this prototype which was cutting didn't operate very well But it operated enough that we could tow it for 2020 meters and cut some seagrass Um we compared these different um trials against the abundance of natural seagrass that hadn't been impacted and so so we run that program for a couple of years did it repeat Um and what we saw is that there is no impact of that uh cutter Because basically we're just giving it a haircut and In some ways, you know that that might be a surprise but in other ways not because seagrasses All around the world whether you're talking about them in tropics or you're talking about them in uh temperate climbs But they're grazed animals like to eat seagrass So we have brent geese in the temperate realm Um and some of our colleagues who work on the isle of white were recently down there and they they were witnessed lots of swans grazing Chopping away of all afternoon at the seagrass in the tropics. We see dougongs. We see turtles Um the some types of fish so it's not really uh a surprise that if you chop the seagrass it grows back Yeah, right and we're not digging up the that the rhizomes or the roots Which is basically cutting the the shoots Um to a to a reduced height and what we saw is that there is no impact the seagrass remains healthy It's doing very well and when you compare that seagrass um against natural populations that haven't been um impacted there is no difference so it's great to see that and we've we've just recently written up all that Information into an academic paper because we thought it was a a key point to be able to prove uh that what we're doing is not impacting the uh the seagrass so We're in a situation. We've got a um a prototype that it worked a bit Um, but enough to to run the trial We now uh had greater assurance that um if we if we did this we're not going to impact the the seagrass the regulator that beginning to understand that Uh, we're able to get a bit more permission to to use a system at larger scale. We just need That system and that's where this this project comes in Yeah, great project. I would have I would imagine the the cutting of the seagrass would almost be a bit of like a pruning in a garden Right where you're just pruning you're not you you want it to grow back Um, what are the rates and I know it's probably different for each species of seagrass But what are the rates of growth like do they grow back fairly quickly when you did that study year over a year? Did you find like the next year the seagrass was already back above the waterline? Oh, the The following year there was no difference. Yeah, and and it was even even after we'd cut um, it was quite difficult to actually see some of the impacts because um as we were taking a blade over the seagrass a lot of the seagrass has also been pushed down Um, so we didn't cut it all Um, and so you actually you don't tend to to see even that that much of an impact, but but you know um New shoots pop out for every every three few weeks, you know, um, you'll get like in the height of summer that we're going Uh very rapidly, you know over a few weeks period You're going to get three four centimeters of growth on our on a shoot. So it's like, you know, really really rapid turnover So, um cuts it and you know As long as you're not damaging the actual route the rhizome that's underpinning it. Yeah, then You're just giving it a haircut. It'll it'll come back Fantastic now for the seed that you do collect Uh and on a right whether it's by humans, you know harvesting them or the seed collector Um, what do you do with the seeds afterwards? So a project seagrass, um, we have a whole range of programs that run in the UK Um, some of those are very Applied restoration where we're trying to actually Conduct large scale restoration. Mm-hmm. Some of them are very experimental where we're trying to um Learn about these some of the intricacies in in the ways we we replant seagrass But broadly all that that seed is being used to to bring back these habitats because Whether it's in the UK, whether it's in Indonesia, whether it's in Japan Whatever, uh around the world, we have seen huge amounts of seagrass loss Um, seagrass is often referred to as the uh canary in the in the coal mine or the canary in the the ocean really uh, that um You know where we've lost seagrass. It's really an indicator of of the quality of of the Environment that it's it's living in and unfortunately we've degraded our coasts all around the world Um, and we continue to do this. It's not it's not like a just a historic thing And there was a lot of historic loss, but it's something that is ongoing. We continue to see it um There are you know, um obviously I work in in the UK for a lot of my my time and um, so there's a lot of focus there But we you know we we see um harbors estuaries where seagrass is declining because of poor water quality um, but What we're now doing is we're trying to bring back seagrass in places where the environment has improved So there's lots of places where it disappeared a long time ago Or you know the environments have changed. You see lots of places. So just because it was damaged here Um, um, it doesn't mean we can't plant it over there if the environment is right for it now so um, we're trying to to replant these these habitats bring them back so they can form important fish habitats. Yeah support biodiversity support climate change. Also, there's different factors that um seagrass is playing to Yeah, for sure and which is you know all admirable. We need seagrass Uh for a lot of different reasons As as we know we've heard from from project seagrass before looking at biodiversity Uh how as it's a huge biodiversity, uh haven for for a lot of different species Uh, it's blue carbon habitats as well being used for that. It's just it's just secure Like, you know, it just it uh, it's good for coastal security Uh as well as feeding other habitats and and and whatnot seagrass is probably one of the most important Um, habitats that we see all over the world like like you mentioned before temperate and tropical areas And and you know, they definitely need a lot of protection because we don't see them all the time probably don't we don't recognize that they're being disturbed quite a bit and uh And basically yeah, yeah, I decide that I to mind Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Um now with with this like how how much do you anticipate? This seagrass harvester to collect how many seeds like in a Like in a day or in a past. Have you guys had the chance to calculate that or estimate it? It's difficult to to get that sort of calculation. Yeah, um, but broadly, you know what what we do know is that um in a um, a healthy seagrass method, sometimes you have Anywhere between a hundred and ten thousand seeds per meter squared, right, right? um So, um, I think the ten thousand is more at the extreme end and that's from data in your neck of the woods where uh, the seagrass intends to grow a bit bigger and a bit thicker and it's got this huge production of seeds, but we're typically finding over uh, a thousand seeds per meter squared in in the UK and that means that if we're pulling it over, you know, um, 100 meter squared, then uh suddenly actually we're we're getting a lot of uh, a lot of seeds and You know, um, if we take it over bigger areas, then maybe we're getting we're picking up millions of seeds Um, obviously we we you know, there's um, there's other factors coming into play here You know, there's others users of those environments and that and you know, and and also we need to be mindful of, uh, how we Uh, uh, ensure that we don't, um, cut up a load of fish or, you know, of course, um, different other animals, but and but, you know, there's lots of ways we can do that, but I think that, um, broadly we should be able to collect millions of seeds, um, in a quite rapid, um, manner and, um, you know, um, when you're talking about meadows that are sort of, you know, over 100 hectares in size and you know, uh, doing this over a number of transecs, it's actually a very small portion of the area because you're not going to actually take a, uh, take it cut into a whole meadow. You're going to put it over a small, small area of that meadow and ultimately, you know, take a small proportion of the, uh, the seeds that are present Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that's that that's important for for people to know because these meadows are huge that when you're when you're in them And I think that's uh, that's that's really important to to reiterate. So You know, it's it's really great to think that, you know, obviously this this device will be able to collect so much more Um, so many more seeds, uh, especially when you look at compared to if you have volunteers out grabbing those seeds as well plus, um, a lot less of a disturbance when you have one Uh, you know, one machine that then snorkelers or or what have you people going through the through the meadows. Um How is this device Used? Is it like by remote control or is it towed behind a vessel or how's that how's that used? Yes, it's it's towed behind a, uh, a vessel, um, uh, the sort of, uh, half a knot to one knot maximum speed And, um, we've we've done similar things where we've we've got other types of sleds that we pull behind a uh, a boat and sometimes what we actually do is, um, um, We attach the, uh, the the the boat to a mooring or a, uh, Anchor it and basically we winch the boat slowly into into that, uh, anchor, uh, so we've got a very controlled speed Yeah Because that's that's the challenge is that if you, um, um, um, you know, put the throttle slightly down and all Yeah, you can you can kind of just sort of, uh, jump it a bit So, um, the idea of using a sort of an anchor point, um, is a A better way of, uh, doing it and then you can just have a very, very slow, uh, winching, um, sort of, um, motion Yes, more of that constant movement across across the metal. That's great. That's that's uh, that's great to see It's it's interesting too because when you don't think about these things A lot of times when you're planning it, you know, you have to be out in the field and you have to know how to work it And you have to know how it would react to You know, the vessel how it react to an anchor point, you know, and and and explore these different aspects How long with the prototype that you had as rough as it was how long did it take you to kind of figure these things out? How many times were you I guess this was over a couple of years, right? Yes, and uh, I guess The the first time we actually, uh, trialed this it wasn't just the fact that we were putting a This crazy sled into the water for the first time, but we're actually we had a Some funding to buy a brand new boat and that was more of a, um, a landing craft style boat Which is uh, in some ways very good for working in shallow waters, but, um, we're actually It's sort of when you get a bit wind becomes a bit of a sail. So, um There was lots of trials and tribulations along the way shall we say, we say Uh, we uh, we we we had some lessons learned We got there and got got there got there in the end, but it's um, yeah with all these sorts of things if you Uh, um, you want to develop something new you've got to you've got to be willing to What's what's the, uh, you've got to, uh, break eggs to make it on the temp and you Absolutely the patience is definitely virtue when it comes to Uh, some creating something new like this, uh, now that you know, what's interesting is i've I haven't seen anything like you guys have done some pretty interesting things at project seagrass You know putting the mapping, um platform together and and so forth What made you decide to take on this project in itself with a prototype? I mean it does it require Like did you have somebody who's like has an engineering background or you know? Was this something that you've always thought about always wanted to do? Well it came out of a, uh, project that we were we're running, uh, uh, in another part of uh, wales in, uh, in milford haven where we we planted a lot of seagrass use a lot of, uh, volunteers And we were working quite closely with, um, the the charity ww f All right, and they were sort of they'd been involved with it and one of their funding officers, uh, I was actually quite a, a stew character, um, and a guy called jim nickels he, um, he came out with us and was like, well, you know, this is this is This is hard work or this hard graft like maybe we could get some funding to to have a project that mechanized particular elements because this isn't the only bit of this story that's, uh, we've been trying to to mechanize, um, but by a long road so we we developed a project proposal with with him and, um, something called the garfield western foundation they they were great in in supporting a project to develop that pilot concept and, uh, um, we were also played with with other things building some sleds to pump seeds into the sediment, uh, um, building some aquaria that was like, uh, which allows to process the seeds because we want to collect them um, we, um, there's other, uh, laborious jobs that go with with that and so we had some funding to do all these these different things and that that's why we sort of started getting these developing these ideas of how can we mechanize this, um, and so we saw so we're able to run that project where we we worked with the regulator to do all that testing and to develop that pilot but, you know, we're now at the point where, um, we've demonstrated that and we've got to prove a concept really just need to turn that into reality that's amazing it's got to be quite exciting to come to this point after all those years of of putting this together and thinking about this and fidgeting around with how to tow it and what it should look like and how to design it um, you know, as I look at the website for the crowd funder you're close you're you're very close to the goal to your goal and we're in about the last week, week and a half, probably last week, uh, proper to to be able to to get this fun funding um once you get this funding uh and we're gonna say when because I'm I'm I'm confident that you'll get it because I know a lot of people in our audience would love to be a part of of you know seeing this story uh develop as as you know as as a micro funder and so forth um what's the plan once the funding happens you're gonna you're gonna go out and get the materials to build uh build the prototype so we've been working with a um a company called tandem ventures that are they're a bit of a quirky group of people who do all sorts of things from building jetpacks um oh wow design um a range of uh kits so they're they're engineers they're people with those natural skills to to build and engineer things uh so the aim is to then you know deliver and uh try to actually pull this design together uh and then actually the next summer um ultimately uh test it um and that's the that's the the key part there is to be able to test it next year and uh so I guess the the crowd funder is that is the sort of minimal point of what we're hoping and and it'd be great if we were able to to raise a bit more to so we can do a bit more next uh summer but the key thing is to get a a truly operating piece of kit that is no longer at a uh a prototype level and we can actually roll that out um and um yeah so um the the person who's been heading up this project within our team uh Sam Reese um he's been working with uh tandem and developing ideas and you know and that's why we've got to this this point um that we can actually try and go for this crowd funder and try and really run it out because you know um Sam Sam has been playing with all these different bits of kit uh it's like we've learned that if each different stage you know uh we we just need that uh someone with the the technical know how to um to turn those those concepts ideas and learning into uh something that is a reality that's amazing that's awesome now once once this is built is there another study that's going to be done or year over year to compare with the original prototype and to see the differences and obviously sort of go through some iterations to make that this new prototype uh even better yes we we we like that and that's the that's the the need to hopefully go beyond the the crowd funder is is uh the target so we can actually do a lot more of that comparison we can we can deliver with it and um you know um there'll be fine tuning even when operational uh um a piece of equipment you know how we um how we pull it and all the different different things that uh uh will come up and um you know to be able to do a uh pull a tow over a long distance um uh we we we need to do assessment work on that first so we don't ram it over a rock and you know that's true so we have to do bits pieces of that but it's um yeah that that's the the broader aim is to to be able to to refine it and uh work with it and and then use it in other places and that that's important because there's other uh jurisdictions just within the uk where um uh some of the regulators are a little more suspicious than uh others and they're a little more embracing so there's you know um there's some uh room for uh trying to work with with those guys but there's other researchers around um europe about north america and the parts of the world who you know might be interested to to have a go and and use something like that so um who knows where it'll it'll go but they you know our broader uh aim as an organization is to uh save the world seagrass but that's something that's a very long-term goal and that's something that we don't do alone you know that's about partnerships it's about working with organizations all around the world and as if we can develop knowledge and equipment things that uh other people can run with then that stuff's uh what what we what we want you know so if someone uses something like this in japan as a result then it's a success you know um absolutely absolutely that was going to be you know one of my uh one of my questions there was a there was a an art the rov that was developed a number of years ago uh and it was by a company called open rov and they made it small and they made a compact and they made it essentially that anybody can buy i think it was like a thousand dollars or fifteen hundred dollars there was also uh an option to build it yourself and so it was like a diy diy kit for like six or seven hundred dollars and then at one point um somebody backed it and uh james kameron actually backed it and said hey i'm gonna take i'm gonna buy a thousand of these and you can give it to any like all these different organizations so that they can also use it and they can gain access to it and use it for conservation projects is i know that we're in the very beginning stages of this prototype trying to get it funding and and and built you know so that's usable but is that the idea going forward you know as you mentioned you know if somebody in japan wants to do it or somebody in donesia wants to use something very similar to that is that in the future plans of saying if we can make this really compact and make it easy to either build or use by other people this is something that could be commercialized and you know shared with it with a lot of other a lot of other people in different countries who are doing similar work to you i don't think we want to commercialize it per se because i think don't think that you know we wouldn't we're a charity we wouldn't be trying to of course yeah of course sorry yeah ourselves but you know if we could share it with others then yes absolutely and um one of our big things is about knowledge sharing and and you know um it's important that as scientists you write things up you share it and um and it doesn't matter sometimes whether that's a success or a failure unit of course to share it and um we'd love to to be able to give it to others it won't be a global tool because um seagresses in some parts the world uh don't grow in in the same way that uh you can you can collect the seeds in this manner so a lot the tropical seagresses don't produce seed in the same way so it's uh it wouldn't necessarily equate but you know um both northern and southern um temperate regions there's a lot of seagress um where they're growing in a similar way so i think there's there's there's opportunities there for for sure right and Zoptera Mariner known as eelgrass which is what we're focusing it on um is uh across the entire northern hemisphere yeah yeah it's pretty prolific prolific around the world yeah so you know uh it's got a huge uh applicability very nice very nice now i have to i have to ask i mean this is i know this project is a serious project you've been working out for quite some time but you're at this stage how excited are you and the team to be even at this stage and to be so close to the target oh we we we we're we're stoked it's an exciting project it's it's really nice to to know that people want to support us and you know i think uh in running a charity it's it's like it's amazing um how how people come to the fore and want to support you and people you know it also has different walks of life in different sort of scenarios whether they're they're wealthy or you know or not um we get all sorts of different donors and it's it's amazing to to see how people will support the work that you're doing because you know i think there's a lot of uh eco anxiety out there as well there's a lot of people you know i wanting to do something and you know in some some walks of life people can do things and change change things and but in others they can't and you know actually supporting a charitable organization to do something like this is uh is a um a nice thing and it's you know it's something to never um um assume you you deserve as a charity but it's lovely to to see it you know mm-hmm where people are actually giving their hard-earned money to support an activity that can improve the the status of the environment yeah absolutely and i'll be honest i think it's a testament to your team in in the work that you've done in the past as well as continue to do um and and be very transparent of the work that you've been able to do you know you've not only do you have a great comms team but you have people on the on the team that are you know love seagrass love to share their work on seagrass and their thoughts then i think that's really helped gather you know your more eyes on the work that you're doing and and it's showing already in in this part there's still quite a ways to go uh you know and and there's 11 days left as of this recording and i think we're going to be publishing when there's 10 days left so i i you know i want to tell people like i've got a lot of people who are like hey you know i i don't have money i don't have a lot of money to donate to large large projects but this is a way the crowdfunding for things like this is a way that you can donate little piece like little bits and bits and it'll go towards a larger project that can help restore seagrasses in the future i think this is an investment that's definitely worthwhile and uh you know i know i'm going to be donating and i'm looking forward to doing that and when i saw this project i was like oh we got to have somebody from the team on you know to to be able to talk about this and to be able to help just push it over september 30th is when this this crowd funder is complete yep that's that's the the end date and uh yeah i would love to have people support it's hugely appreciated and uh you know uh we're aware that you know it's it's never easy to uh to give uh harder and funds away but uh it's hugely appreciated when people people do yeah absolutely and i've done episodes before on on sort of eco-anxiety climate anxiety and this is part of how you can can help you know and how you can ease off some of that anxiety is like there are people out there they're doing some great work and doing their best to help with the planet help with the environment and restore seagrasses is part of that as i mentioned at the beginning it's great for as a habitat for biodiversity as well as a blue carbon habitat to help sequester carbon out of the atmosphere and so this is going to be an important investment into our future so i highly recommend people uh to donate so to do that i'm going to put a link in the show notes and people can go over and and donate do this soon don't wait and even if you see they're getting close to the goal as Richard said you know that if they go over that's okay because they'll use those funds for more studies and and so forth so don't worry about just getting to the goal but just donate what you can and what you're able to afford and uh and let's see this thing get going and i'm looking forward to seeing that it's progress so Richard thank you so much for joining us on today's episode we really appreciate the work that you and your team continue to do and we look forward to having you back on to find out more results from the from the prototype thank you very much for for having me and you know it's lovely to catch up and um hear your podcasts which are always a uh an interesting uh addition to lots of journeys i've had uh driving uh crosswhales so awesome thank you really appreciate it thank you Richard for joining us today on the how to protect the ocean podcast i really appreciate you coming on explaining why we need a seed harvester why it's important how much more efficient it will be how many more seeds it will collect and what we need to do and then sort of the the call to action of why we need to protect and restore seagrasses not just in the uk not just in Canada not just in the u.s but all over the world and i really appreciate the work that project seagrass have done that you and your team have been fantastic and this crowd funder at this point is 71% funded at this point of of this recording and i'm hoping it'll be funded for the like beyond 100% uh and i hope we are a part of that as an audience so you know a lot of people that i've had that i've engaged with in this audience have said hey you know if we if there's a way that we can be part of projects or be able to contribute to projects we would love to do that this is one of those ways uh and so i highly recommend that you go to the link in the show notes as well or in the description if you're watching this on youtube and feel free to donate whatever you can there's different amounts there's a there's an incentive for different amounts but we really really appreciate anything that you can donate so go over to the to the show notes as well as in or in the description if you're watching this on youtube and i want to thank you so much for joining me on today's episode of the how to protect the ocean podcast thank you so much for your donation if you decide to donate if you can donate and just listening i really appreciate you just listening to this and if you know people who are interested in this kind of stuff just share it around maybe they will donate as well and support this project so thank you so much for joining me on today's episode of the how to protect the ocean podcast i'm your host angelouin have a great day we'll talk to you next time and happy conservation