Winning the underwater seagrass battle

NEW DEVICE MARKS ‘A RESTORATION REVOLUTION'

- ANDY PHILLIPS

A NEW device which is capable of planting up to 2,000 seagrass seeds in under 20 minutes by a single diver has been developed by the Plymouth-based conservation charity which runs the National Marine Aquarium.

The Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) has developed the underwater gadget in partnership with a Plymouth company and believe it could 'revolutionise' the way seagrass meadows can be restored.

Named OCTOPUS - Ocean Conservation Trust Pressurised Underwater Seeder the device has been purpose built with the help of city-based Absolute Product Design and injects seeds directly into the seabed.

The spring-loaded handheld device has a mechanism based on a caulking gun, but is light enough for a single diver to use. With a 1.5 litre chamber, filled with Zostera marina seeds suspended in a specialised carrying media, one OCTOPUS unit can be used to inject 2,000 seagrass seeds in under 20 minutes, in just one dive, by one diver.

Using this new device, the Ocean Habitat Restoration team has already completed two hectares of restoration in Plymouth Sound as well as 1.5 hectares in the Solent.