Fishing Practices Reformed
Masbate, Philippines
May 24, 2023

The Regala brothers practiced illegal dynamite fishing from 1980 to 2016. “We detonated on coral beds, which are the habitat of fish,” he said. They still venture into the sea, but now as its protectors. Since 2017 the Reef Ball Foundation and local industry have placed 3,993 Reef Balls planted with 52,000 coral fragments within the Masbate Marine Protected Area with hundreds more planned and local fishermen have been hired to be sea guards. ”We do not allow any fishermen to enter and catch fish within the declared marine protected area. The fish are back. The corals are also reviving,” Joecil Regala said, who, with his brothers, see protecting the seas as a legacy of wealth for their descendants.

Prize-Winning Research for Students
New Haven, Connecticut
May, 2023

Students at the Sound School have initiated a project to restore the oyster population in New Haven Harbor. With technical aid and material donations from the Reef Ball Foundation, the students built, seeded, and deployed the first of 100 proposed Reef Balls in order to restore native oyster communities, improve water quality, and to perform research on such projects. This month, two students - Anja Nikkel and Brendan Connors - presented at a conference of the New England Estuarine Research Society on oyster density, size, and distribution, as well as biodiversity in the surrounding water and won the society’s Rankin Prize for Undergraduate Oral Presentation.

Freshwater Habitat Renewal
Richmond River - New South Wales, Australia
May 24, 2023

In a first of its kind project in the Richmond River, OzFish Unlimited’s Richmond River Chapter has deployed 24 Reef Balls in Emigrant Creek to provide habitat for bass along a critical breeding ground. Richmond Chapter member Tim Knox and his brother deployed the Reef Balls by crane. Projects like these are crucial to returning the river to its former glory.

Noah's Reef Grows
Magothy River Association, Magothy River, Maryland
April 4, 2023

Since the death of 14-year-old Noah Anderson in 2019, the Dobbins Island reef site has been affectionately known as Noah’s Reef because of his deep love for being on the water with his family in Cape St. Claire. Originally about 50-by-50-ft when first loaded with Reef Balls in 2003, the site has expanded to 400-by-800-ft. About 175 new oyster Reef Balls made by area residents, Eagle Scouts, and students were deployed in March. Paul Spadaro, president of the Magothy River Association said, “This is a win, win, win. A win for CCA’s LRAC program, a win for MRA efforts to restore oyster and fish habitat, and a win for recreational fishermen in the upper Bay.” And for those who loved Noah.

Marine Restoration Project
Jupiter, Florida
March 17, 2023

The Sawfish Bay Marine Restoration project is a five-phase multi-year initiative to install living shoreline, restore marine habitat including installation of artificial reef modules, promote seagrass and oyster growth, contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, improve water quality, and enhance resiliency of approximately 7,000 total linear feet of shoreline spanning over 30 acres of water. The project's transformative nature-based approach accounts for the area's history dating back thousands of years to the original hydrologic system, in an effort to bring balance back towards the natural ecosystem through analysis and understanding of the local hydromorphology.

Project Monitoring Update
Ratatotok, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia
March 3, 2023

Approximate 20 year(?) monitoring update of Reef Ball deployments in Indonesia by the PT Newmont Corp (Now PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara - PTAMNT.) After the company’s divestment of its Indonesian interests now citizen scientists participate with the Tagaroa Dive Center to continue monitoring of the ongoing and clearly thriving recovery of the once destroyed reef systems. Thanks to the Tagaroa Dive Center for these images and for their commitment to the important work of conservation and data collection.
Project photo at left by Windy Prayogo.

Deployment Milestone
Tampa Bay, Florida
February 16, 2023

Once numbering 1000s of acres, time and numerous human-related activities have led to a 90% loss of oyster reefs in the Tampa Bay area. Tampa Bay Watch developed the Community Oyster Reef Enhancement program in the early 2000s to help restore lost oyster habitat as a powerful part of reversing decades of damage from pollution and habitat loss in the waters of Florida’s largest open water estuary. As of this February's 30th anniversary of TBW, the organization has deployed 17,217 oyster Reef Balls at over 30 sites in the waters of Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Manatee Counties to restore habitat,improve water quality, and prevent erosion.

Community Watershed Restoration
St. Mary's River, Maryland
September 6, 2022

St. Mary's River Watershed Association kept up its Reef Ball building projects at five elementary schools, two high schools, the Greenwell Fishing Camps, Maryland Agricultural Teachers Conference and their field site with help from volunteers. 373 Reef Balls were deployed to the oyster reef restoration site with 319 volunteers engaged for 893 volunteer hours. Volunteers learned the importance of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and how to become stewards of our waterways.
“So basically, the oysters were only trying to help us, and we killed them. Now it’s our job to bring them back.” – CPCS sixth-grade student.

Major Environmental Rehabilitation
Aroroy, Masbate, Philippines
August 10, 2022

Happy as a (giant) clam Tridacna squamosa spotted as a natural recruit on a Reef Ball, the Colorada Marine Protected Area (MPA) - heavily damaged by illegal and dynamite fishing - is coming back to life. Since 2013 2,743 Reef Balls, planted with approx 40,482 coral fragments, have been deployed by Phil Gold Processing & Refining with substantial progress in marine life renewal. Associated mangrove restorations have planted about 115 hectares with over 500,000 seedlings.
Local fisherfolk helped in the production of Reef Balls and have become MPA wardens.

Ongoing Habitat Enhancement /
Construction Mitigation

Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia
August 3, 2022

This morning's fog didn’t prevent the local cormorant population from supervising work as the tug Dominion Rumbler and workboat Halmar moved the barges Dominion Mercury and Dominion Jupiter into position off Point Pleasant Park to add more Reef Balls to those already placed as improved habitat, and to offset possible habitat damage from port expansions. Crews from Dominion Diving Ltd were on scene placing scores of new Reef Balls.

Tribeca Oyster Project Monitoring
Hudson River Park, NYC
July 19, 2022

Last July over 11 million oyster spat were released into the Hudson River between Piers 26 and 34 in hopes these would grow into a thriving addition to the local oyster population, enhancing diversity while improving water quality and creating a new reef corridor between the piers. How are they doing?
“It’s really exciting,” said Hudson River Park Trust vice president Carrie Roble, in charge of the agency’s Tribeca Habitat Enhancement Project. “I would say the oysters were even a little bit bigger than we were anticipating.”

Historic Reef Completion
Sarawak, Malaysia
July 19, 2022

Dropping the final Reef Ball of 16,829 deployed in 740 clusters of 20 to 30 Reef Balls along 720 kilometres out of 900 kilometres coastlines of Sarawak from Tanjung Datu to Lawas marked the completion of the Sarawak Reef Ball Project Phase I which began in 2019.
The Sarawak Forestry Corporation hopes that this project will serve as an exemplary conservation project that will be beneficial to the coral reef ecosystem and marine wildlife, particularly the sea turtles.

Beach and Environmental Protection
Seychelles Islands
July 4, 2022

Desroches, Remire and Platte islands face beach erosion issues which imperil the coralline and low-lying islands' existence. Various methods to tackle erosion have had little to no effect.
"Seeing as nothing was being effective… we found a company in the Maldives, (using)… Reef Balls, that has had great results," said Glenny Savy, IDC Chief Executive.
The deployment of 800 Reef Balls on Desroches should be completed by December when work will move to Platte and Remire islands.

Ongoing Bay Restoration
Tampa Bay, Florida
April 22, 2022

Tampa Bay Watch and over one hundred volunteers installed 10 tons of oyster shell reef, 100 oyster Reef Balls and 2000 salt marsh grasses at Lassing Park in St. Pete for Earth Day

Sea Turtle Nesting Site Restoration
Tanjung Datu National Park, Borneo, Malaysia

August 13, 2021

95 critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle hatchlings from a previously undisclosed nesting event on June 19 were released in Tanjung Datu National Park, Malaysia, according to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. 5,135 turtle hatchlings have been released at TDNP since April 2021 including Green and Olive Ridley hatchlings. SFC added the turtles' return to TDNP is a result of the success of both the turtle conservation programme and Sarawak Reef Ball Project's deployment of 1,100 Reef Balls in Sampadi-Tanjung Datu waters for the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity.

Marine Habitat Restoration
The Venetian Lagoon, Venice, Italy
June 29, 2021
Nine Year UPDATE.

In 2012 Reef Ball Italia deployed several Reef Balls in an area of the south Venice lagoon. Nine-year-long monitoring showed how they populated typical North Adriatic flora and fauna such as green algea, red algae, spirographs and the endangered Mediterranean pen shell Pinna nobilis.
- photos by Alberto Lorenzon.

Marine Habitat Restoration
Municipality of Aroroy, Masbate, Philippines
June 21, 2021

Filminera Resources Corp. (FRC) and its sister company, PGPRC partnered with the government of Aroroy to rehabilitate coral reefs that were destroyed due to dynamite fishing and other illegal fishing activities. 2,203 Reef Balls were deployed and 29,273 coral fragments were planted beginning in 2017.Various species of fish (as shown in this photo) are now seen thriving in the Marine Protected Area of Colorada Point.

Monitoring Update: Maiden Island Reef
Antigua
May 17, 2021

A few current photos of the progress and biological diversity on the Reef Balls at Maiden Island Reef in Antigua: constructed in 2004. Strong devlopment of transplanted hard corals as well as significant natural colonization by hard and soft corals and microflora and fauna are apparent. At the time of its construction this was the largest artificial reef in the world.
Photos courtesy of Rick & Lara Hake from The Adventures of SV Mai Tai.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lynnhaven River Progress
Chesapeake Bay, Maryland/Virginia
May 11, 2021

Col. Kinsman speaks with Clint Robertson of Seaward Marinecorp, working the reef habitat portion of the Lynnhaven River ecosystem restoration project: One of the ten tributaries involved in the Chesapeake Bay restoration program.
Not only are they placing a mind-boggling 1000 Reef Balls per day, but with ZERO safety incidences!

Marine Park Biodiversity Restoration
Semporna, Borneo, Malaysia
April 5, 2021

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin announced the deployment of Reef Balls in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The minister said that he was proud of the efforts to help restore coral reefs that have been destroyed by fish bombs, adding that the efforts will also aid the local community by increasing fish stocks and benefiting the tourism sector. Researchers have recorded 255 species of corals and 528 species of reef fish here – richer than The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In 2013 Barracuda Point was rated the best dive site in the world.

Ecosystem and Biodiversity Protection and Restoration
Tarquinia, Italy
February 26, 2021

Under supervision of the University of Tuscia 60 Reef Balls were deployed around the Posidonia meadows on the Lazial coast near the mouth of the Marta River. These will both create new habitat and protect habitats from illegal trawling and fishing while increasing the local populations of species such as the European lobster, through repopulation actions associated with the Reef Balls.

Billion Oyster Project
Hudson River, New York
February 17, 2021

Last year 881 reef ball were deployed across five acres of the Hudson River by marine contractors from the NY Thruway Authority — making it the largest oyster restoration project in the region to date.
This work is in partnership with the #hudsonriverfoundation.
Check out these photos captured by the Director of Restoration.

New Underwater Reef Park
Delray Beach, Florida
January 6, 2021

A 32-acre underwater park off Delray Beach has launched as a partnership between No Shoes Reefs, The Reef Ball Foundation, the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida, Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, Sandoway Discovery Center, and Global SubDive.
The reef’s evolving ecosystem will enhance marine habitat, provide long-term educational opportunities, enhance fisheries, improve water quality, provide new opportunities for anglers and create a steady economic boost for the county

Stratford Point Living Shoreline
Stratford, Connecticut
September 16, 2020

A research project headed by Sacred Heart University biology professor Jennifer Mattei with members of her lab, intended to restoring coastal habitats, cap heavy metals, abate wave energy and allow successful horseshoe crab spawning has received the Best Restored Shore Award from the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA)
Quick infographic
Published scientific paper

Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
September 9, 2020

In 2005, more than 200 reef balls were deployed at Manukan Island to restore the reef which had been destroyed by a storm. Fifteen years on, 996 species corals, 1283 species of coral reef fishes and 303 species of marine invertebrates have made these Reef Ball structures their habitats and home.

On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef
Sarasota, Florida
Memorial Day, 2018 (video) – Veterns Day, 2019

The On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef is now complete.
Eternal Reefs, Reef Innovations and Reef Ball set out to honor lost submariners and their boats with a memorial in the environment in which they served – the sea.
The reef is laid out following Arlington National Cemetery protocols and comprised of 67 Reef Balls: one for each of the 65 missing boats, each marked with a plaque giving the vessel’s name, best known last location and loss of life. Two additional Reef Balls honor the United States Submarine Veterans and all others in the submarine service lost in the line of duty.

Reef Restoration
Zanzibar, Tanzania
July 4, 2019

Coral Reef Care says, “We couldn’t be more proud of the artificial reefs we created with Reef Balls.” Two El Niños of 2015 and 2016 produced high sea temperatures which killed most of the corals transplanted just before. Corals were transplanted again and two years later a thriving ecosystem teeming with life from a wide variety of species has emerged, including naturally recruited coral fans normally not found in the area.

Super Shore
Multi-Habitat Experiment – Giant Marsh, Conta Costa Co. CA
June, 2019

Seven habitat treatments – a mosaic of plantings, oyster reef structures, and experiments – with a footprint of about two acres are scattered across the shore zone habitat over an area totaling 350 acres. 180 1000-pound reef balls topped with clean Pacific oyster shell were placed in the shallows off Point Pinole Regional Shoreline as part of the Living Shoreline Experiment at Giant Marsh.

Petronas Beacon Project
Ongoing Marine Restorations, Malaysia
Mar 3, 2019

Launched in 2013 in collaboration with Sarawak Forestry Corporation the Beacon Project deployed 1,500 artificial Reef Balls in Similajau National Park waters and has regenerated more than 7 coral species, providing a home and nesting grounds for many aquatic creatures such as the cuttlefish. Some of the corals have grown to a very large size.