It’s interesting where and when some of the best ideas can spring to mind. Of course, the difference is whether those ideas are acted on or not. Bringing this story of the SeaHives to you as it’s another excellent example of how an individual or two are making a positive impact on the planet, one step at a time.
What’s unique about this story is materials that potentially cause lasting damage in our oceans, instead of being discarded, are recycled into something new that is restoring life… but I am getting ahead of myself!
List to my audio introduction above
When David Francis emailed this photograph, from Portland Marina (Weymouth, Dorset) to the NLA International team of Associates, I was fascinated. What was I looking at? A myriad of filter feeders and tunicates plus the cute little fish hiding amongst them. I had to find out more.
What is a SeaHive?
A series of hexagonal tubes, open at both ends that are nested and strapped together, then attached to or suspended from a structure such as a pier, pontoon or breakwater for example. They are called ‘SeaHives’ because once together they look like a honeycomb.
Most of the plankton in the sea occurs in the top 3 metres. By placing the SeaHives in this area, filter feeding animals have a hard surface exposed to the greatest concentration of food, so they settle quickly on the SeaHives. In the UK, they have attracted barnacles, sponges, molluscs and hydrozoans and as this new ecosystem develops then invertebrates and juvenile fish move in.
What They Are Made Of?
This is the REALLY COOL part.
We all know that a lot of fishing gear and nets get lost or are discarded at sea, with much of it being ultimately washed up on beaches or unfortunately ghost fishing. The SeaHive tubes are made almost entirely, from reclaimed and recycled trawl fishing nets. Oh, and sometimes recycled astro turf too. Kayaks and harbour boys are made of the same durable and stable material by the way.
They are totally non-toxic to the environment – the rotomoulding production uses only heat to form the tubes and as result they don’t leach chemicals. Nor do they become brittle and break down into microplastics. The bands that hold them together are made of stainless steel as are any chains and shackles that are needed to hold them in place in the water. No anti-rust or anti-fouling agents are required.
Where Did the Idea Come From?
Having a beer with his friend Will Shakespeare, a glassblower by trade, they were watching a programme on how scallop trawling had been banned around the Isle of Man. Sharing a passion for nurturing and repairing the environment, they agreed that although this appeared to be a positive first step nothing was being done to restore the seabed’s that had been severely damaged by scallop trawls.
Now David was, and still is, an avid diver, with a degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography. Many times he observed that aquatic life settled best where there are surfaces and shelter available, as well as a regular and unhindered flow of water through a stable structure. This sustained the greatest abundance and variety of life. Like you see the abundance of ocean life around a wreck or a natural or artificial reef. Will had just made a hexagonal glass tube as a vase, from recycled glass, and the idea to produce something similar, though open ended, from recycled glass was their initial concept. For all sorts of reasons, primarily their small size, the glass version wasn’t an ideal fit, but as they looked for another ‘recyclable’ material, this current, robust and environmentally friendly, design developed.
Support SueQsWorld Writing: It’s always optional but your Donation to SueQsWorld writing is more than just financial support; it’s an investment in creativity, diversity and the transformative power of words. Join me in my mission to enrich lives and inspire change. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. Click on the Donate button, top right hand side of the page for more information.
How Do SeaHives Regenerate Ocean Life?
By providing surfaces for new ocean ecosystems to develop.
Here’s what happens once the SeaHives are in place. The water flowing through the tubes brings suspended food particles – plankton – to the filter feeders that settle on the SeaHive surface, so the sponges, tube worms and tunicates etc., grow quickly and spread out across the entire surface of the SeaHives. These creatures of course are predated by other sea creatures and so a new ‘food chain’ is created. The SeaHives hollow structure provides shelter for fish and invertebrates, hiding away to mature and breed. David says they create a refuge where there wasn’t one before. It’s a bit like planting trees to restore a forest, deploying the SeaHives can help RESTORE the aquatic environment providing the much-needed habitat for the plants and animals to colonise.
SeaHives create a refuge for marine life where there isn’t any, or where it’s been smothered by silt from coastal development or extreme weather conditions
David Francis, SeaHives Ltd
Where Can You Place SeaHives and Where Are They Already Installed?
Designed specifically to be suspended from walkways and jetties in marinas, without needing any additional strengthening or support, makes for a very easy install and these are perfect places to place the SeaHives. Anywhere where there has been coastal development that can leave areas smothered in silt – these are particularly difficult for the marine life to repopulate itself, without positive human intervention. Man-made coastal structures and de-commissioned rigs that are partially kept as artificial reefs and areas perhaps such as offshore wind farms may have potential.
Sea Cadets
Currently SeaHives are situated in some coastal areas and lakes in England, Wales and Scotland but also as far afield as Honduras. Manufactured in England and Wales they have been designed so that they can be assembled and installed by coastal communities and the training and tools needed minimal.
Sponsored by the Sea Life Centre, SeaHives have become part of a broader education programme in the UK. Sea Cadets at Port Edgar and Portland worked as a team to assemble and deploy three SeaHives off local marina pontoons, As well as teaching these young people about how the discarded trawl fishing nets picked up during local beach ‘clean-ups’ can be turned into something with a positive impact on the environment, they also get to monitor and record how their new marine ecosystems develop.
It’s a perfect win|win scenario. The latest update from the Sea Cadets is that the surface of their SeaHives have a healthy covering of filter feeding animals and are being populated with sea anemones, crabs and even a Scorpion fish.
It’s not enough to just protect our oceans, we need to positively act to regenerate them. And amazingly, as we keep seeing time after time, if we give our ocean the tools they need, they can often, quite quickly, restore themselves. SeaHives are of course not the only restoration tool available, but they are certainly one that works!
Interested in more information about SeaHives? More images and contact info can be found at David’s website www.seahives.com