Clients & Case Studies

Marine Eco-Engineering

EXO Engineering, East Pickard Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

  1. AUTUMN 2023

    • ExoReef units and 6X PEBL SubCams deployed at a depth of 18-24m
      • 5X facing reef units, 1X facing a control site
    • 2X GrowProbes deployed to record sea temperature, light, turbidity and current speed throughout the winter months.

  2. 2024 Quarterly

    Regular recovery and redeployment of PEBL SubCams and GrowProbes alongside ROV transects, BRUV surveys, and additional environmental sampling.

  3. SPRING 2025

    • Final retrieval of all ExoReef units after 18-month immersion period.

  4. SUMMER 2025

    • SubCam tapped for EXO's upcoming oyster restoration project at Norfolk Seaweed

Objectives

Monitor the stability and ecological impact of EXO's eco-engineered reef blocks (ExoReef) in dynamic marine systems

  1. Track the movement of the blocks in response to storms
  2. Assess the blocks' effectiveness in aggregating mobile species
  3. Evaluate the overall health of the surrounding ecosystem

SOLUTION

Six SubCams were deployed to survey EXO's reef blocks, capturing high-resolution imagery and videos over an extended period of time, to monitor their stability and the interaction of marine life. GrowProbe's were deployed to...

BENEFITS

  • Structural monitoring

    We accurately determined the movement, or lack thereof, of the reef blocks during high-energy storm events.

  • Biodiversity monitoring

    SubCams provided clear footage of diverse fish species populating the eco-engineered reefs, aiding in the assessment of the block's ecological performance.

  • Stakeholder Engagement

    Sharing video evidence of ExoReef units during storms provided visual confirmation of their efficacy to stakeholders, bolstering confidence in our approach

Portrait of William Coulet, Managing Director at EXO Engineering

"PEBL’s Subcam provides the clear, critical evidence we need to show stakeholders that our artificial reefs provide key habitats and are resilient during extreme marine events”

William Coulet, MD at Exo Engineering

Sample Footage

Restorative Aquaculture

Algapelago, Bideford Bay, North Devon, England

  1. 2024

    • Baseline data collection begins across control and farm stations using
      • 3X SubCams and 2X GrowProbes deployed at ~20m depth
      • 4X FPOD units deployed for continuous acoustic monitoring of cetaceans
      • 6 more monitoring methods based on physical sampling

  2. DECEMBER 2025

    • Blue Forest monitoring review with The Nature Conservancy and Nestle

  3. FEBRUARY 2026

    • Year One Report completed, Year Two monitoring plan being workshopped in a Nestle Partner Workshop at University of Portsmouth

  4. March 2026

    • PEBL delivers six new SubCams to Algapelago
      • 4X for WWF Project, Unlocking the Power of Seaweed

Objectives

Explore the potential of marine restoration alongside regenerative mariculture at Algapelago's offshore Blue Forest Program site.

  1. Quantify the impacts of the Blue Forest Program on local biodiversity and species richness

SOLUTION

Establish 7 monitoring stations across the Algapelago's offshore, North Devon location, 3 control and 4 active farm sites. Perform a wide array of monitoring techniques for a full growing season, including the deployment of SubCams, GrowProbes and Chelonia Ltd. F-PODS.

BENEFITS

  • OFFSHORE Readiness

    Algapelago's Blue Forest site is truly offshore (~20m), and experiences the associated stressors of increased exposure. PEBL's equipment has been deployed successfully for multiple seasons, and feedback has informed next generation design.

  • Long-term sustainability

    PEBL has been embedded in program operations since inception. The affordability of our equipment and services ensures that a robust program is achievable for commercial aquaculture.

  • Adaptive Management

    Year 1 data revealed significant spatial variation in biodiversity metrics between stations, directly informing the Year 2 sampling strategy.

  • Two people on a boat deploying marine monitoring equipment
  • Coastal harbour village with moored boats on the North Devon coast
  • Person in waders on a boat preparing monitoring equipment
  • Small boats moored in a sheltered coastal bay
  • Monitoring frame on a boat deck at sea

Community-owned Ocean Farming

Câr-y-Môr, Pembrokeshire, Wales

  1. 2022-2023

    Environmental monitoring fieldwork at 3X farm sites (Porthlysgi, Carn a Wig, St Justinian) initially funded by the WWF

    • 3X SubCams and 3X GrowProbes at both control and farm sites
    • FPOD units deployed for continuous acoustic monitoring of cetaceans

  2. FEBRUARY 2024

    • Published a preprint on bioRxiv, one of the first environmental monitoring studies at a UK seaweed farm.

  3. 2024-2027

    Câr-y-Môr becomes host farm for PEBL x WWF collaboration study, Unlocking the Power of Seaweed

    • PEBL and Car-y-Mor release social media series, Farm Findings
    • Câr-y-Môr receives 4 SubCams and 1 GrowProbe

EXPLORE THE FARM FINDINGS

Objectives

Conduct ecological monitoring at a U.K. based seaweed farm to diversify the literature pertaining to the location-specific impacts of aquaculture

  1. Measure the impact of Câr-y-Môr's farms on local biodiversity and species richness.
  2. Explore the potential of seaweed farms to serve as marine monitoring "hubs" for coastal areas.

SOLUTION

PEBL used SubCams in Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) Surveys at Câr-y-Môr's three farm sites, deployed environmental sensors (a precursor to GrowProbe) and Chelonia Ltd. F-PODS for continuous data collection, and performed physical sample collection to quantify the sessile organisms on Car-y-Mor's seaweed cultivation lines.

BENEFITS

  • Setting a UK Aquaculture Precedent

    PEBL's findings directly supported CYM's successful application to extend their marine licence from 5 years to 20 years

  • Integrated Monitoring

    PEBL demonstrated that affordable, integrated monitoring (deployable by farm operators themselves) is both scientifically credible and regulatorily valuable.

  • Public Accessibility

    A social media series and associated, accessibly written, blog posts, showed how marine monitoring data can be used to engage communities.

Offshore Renewables

MEECE, Multiple Sites, England & Wales

  1. February 2025

    • PEBL and ORE Catapult agree on a project plan for sensor supply at the Port of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
      • 2X GrowProbes and 1X SubCam shipped as interim sensors while the next generation of GrowProbe was being finished.

  2. November 2025

    • PEBL proposes further work packages for an ongoing MEECE-PEBL collaboration

  3. FEBRUARY 2026

    • 12X Completed GrowProbe Units shipped to ORE Catapult's Port of Grimsby office.

Objectives

Provide monitoring equipment for research through the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult program and Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE).

  • Row of completed PEBL GrowProbe sensor units ready for shipping
  • Person on a quayside at the Port of Grimsby with monitoring equipment
  • Person walking along a pontoon at the Port of Grimsby

Unlocking The Power of Seaweed

U.K. Wide, led by WWF Cymru

  1. 2022-2023

    Initial monitoring study at Car-y-Mor

  2. June 2024

    • WWF commissions PEBL to produce "Narrative Statements" summarizing work at Car-y-Mor
      • These are precursor to the Farm Findings Series

  3. MAY 2025

    • WWF Cymru distributes press release announcing the Unlocking the Power of Seaweed Project
      • PEBL named as partner

  4. JULY 2025

    • Farm Findings Series launched across social media platforms

  5. Autumn 2025

    Successful trial deployments of SubCam at 6 participating seaweed farm partners. Footage returned to PEBL for evaluation.

  6. MARCH 2026

    • Data Dashboard sent to farm operators and WWF for feedback
    • Citizen Science Fish-ID app under development

The WWF and PEBL are repeat collaborators, with PEBL's initial monitoring work at Car-y-Mor being WWF funded, and the accessible reporting of its results being directly commissioned by the WWF.

PEBL was then tapped for the nearly 1 million pound, multi-site, 3-year project, Unlocking the Power of the Seaweed, supported by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund.

Unlocking the Power of Seaweed is made possible by National Lottery players, through The National Lottery Community Fund's Climate Action Fund.

Objectives

Engage seaweed farming communities in environmental monitoring of seaweed farms.

SOLUTIONs

  1. Deploying monitoring units of SubCams, GrowProbes and Chelonia Ltd. F-PODs at 6-8 seaweed farms across the UK
  2. Building and maintaining an open-access data dashboard for farmers, regulators, and communities
  3. Producing live video streams of marine life at farm sites
  4. Training 2 local operators per farm in independent environmental monitoring
  5. Training 40+ community members per farm in citizen science
  6. Co-designing monitoring programmes with each farm and its local community
  7. Producing data reports for stakeholders
  8. Contributing biodiversity monitoring protocols to the UK Seaweed Forum's licensing guidance

Meet the Participating Farms

Map of the UK marking the seaweed farms taking part in the project

Large Scale Oyster Restoration

Oyster Heaven, Lake Veere, Netherlands

  1. Summer 2025

    • Oyster Heaven conducts visibility and deployment tests leading up to their first recording period.

  2. SEPTEMBER 2025

    • Deployment of 1X SubCam at oyster restoration site at 4.5 meters in the Veerse Meer (Lake Veere)
      • 30 days, recording 3X times a day at 9:00, 13:00 and 17:00

  3. FEBRUARY 2026

    • PEBL and Oyster Heaven produce collaborative social media content highlighting SubCam and Oyster Heaven's "Mother Reef" Blocks

Oyster Heaven is a multi-national organisation that takes on the restoration of native oyster reefs in locations where they have been lost. They have deployed SubCams for the monitoring of Project Asta, located in Veerse Meer, NL, where they've deployed 4 million oysters to date.

By restoring 1 billion native oysters by 2030, Oyster Heaven hopes to promote natural coastal defense, cleaner water, and improved biodiversity.

Objectives

Visualize Oyster Heaven's restoration progress over time.

  1. Monitor native oyster colonization on Oyster Heaven's Mother Reef Blocks
  2. Observe Mother Reef usage by other species in Veerse Meer

Sample Footage