Clients & Case Studies
Marine Eco-Engineering
EXO Engineering, East Pickard Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales
AUTUMN 2023
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ExoReef units and 6X PEBL SubCams deployed at a depth of 18–24m
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5X facing reef units, 1X facing a control site
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2X GrowProbes deployed to record sea temperature, light, turbidity and current speed throughout the winter months.
2024 Quarterly
Regular recovery and redeployment of PEBL SubCams and GrowProbes alongside ROV transects, BRUV surveys, and additional environmental sampling.
SPRING 2025
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Final retrieval of all ExoReef units after 18-month immersion period.
SUMMER 2025
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SubCam tapped for EXO's upcoming oyster restoration project at Norfolk Seaweed
"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
Objectives
Monitor the stability and ecological impact of EXO's eco-engineered reef blocks (ExoReef) in dynamic marine systems
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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...
Track the movement of the blocks in response to storms
Assess the blocks' effectiveness in aggregating mobile species
Evaluate the overall health of the surrounding ecosystem
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
Sample Footage
Objectives
Explore the potential of marine restoration alongside regenerative mariculture at Algapelago's offshore Blue Forest Program site.
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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.
2024
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Baseline data collection begins across control and farm stations using
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3X SubCams and 2X GrowProbes deployed at ~20m depth
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4X FPOD units deployed for continuous acoustic monitoring of cetaceans
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6 more monitoring methods based on physical sampling
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DECEMBER 2025
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Blue Forest monitoring review with The Nature Conservancy and Nestle
FEBRUARY 2026
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Year One Report completed, Year Two monitoring plan being workshopped in a Nestle Partner Workshop at University of Portsmouth
March 2026
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PEBL delivers six new SubCams to Algapelago
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4X for WWF Project, Unlocking the Power of Seaweed
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Restorative Aquaculture
Algapelago, Bideford Bay, North Devon, England
Quantify the impacts of the Blue Forest Program on local biodiversity and species richness
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 (9 monitoring methods for roughly £15,500 per year) ensures that a robust program is achievable for commercial aquaculture.
Adaptive Managment
Year 1 data revealed significant spatial variation in biodiversity metrics between stations, directly informing the Year 2 sampling strategy.
Community-owned Ocean Farming
Câr-y-Môr, Pembrokeshire, Wales
2022-2023
Environmental monitoring fieldwork at 3X farm sites (Porthlysgi, Carn a Wig, St Justinian) initially funded by the WWF
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3X SubCams and 3X GrowProbes at both control and farm sites
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FPOD units deployed for continuous acoustic monitoring of cetaceans
FEBRUARy 2024
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Published preprint bioRxiv the first peer-reviewed monitoring study at a UK seaweed farm.
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READ HERE
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2024-2027
Câr-y-Môr becomes host farm for PEBL x WWF collaboration study, Unlocking the Power of Seaweed
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PEBL and Car-y-Mor release social media series, Farm Findings
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Car-y-Mor receives #X SubCams and #X of GrowProbes
Objectives
Conduct ecological monitoring at a U.K. based seaweed farm to diversify the literature pertaining to the location-specific impacts of aquaculture
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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.
Measure the impact of Câr-y-Môr's farms on local biodiversity and species richness.
Explore the potential of seaweed farms to serve as marine monitoring "hubs" for coastal areas.
BENEFITS
Setting A U.K. Aquaculture PrecidIent
PEBL's findings directly supported CYM's successful application to extend their marine liscence 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 Acessibility
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
February 2025
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PEBL and ORE Catapult agree on a project plan for sensor supply at the Port of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
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2X GrowProbes and 1X SubCam shipped as interim sensors while the next generation of GrowProbe was being finished.
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November 2025
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PEBL proposes further work packages for an ongoing MEECE-PEBL collaboration
FEBRUARY 2026
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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).
Unlocking The Power of Seaweed
U.K. Wide, led by WWF Cymru
2022-2023
Initial monitoring study at Car-y-Mor
June 2024
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WWF commissions PEBL to produce "Narrative Statements" summarizing work at Car-y-Mor
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These are precursor to the Farm Findings Series
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MAY 2025
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WWF Cymru distributes press release announcing the Unlocking the Power of Seaweed Project
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PEBL named as partner
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Autumn 2025
Successful trial deployments of SubCam at 6 participating seaweed farm partners. Footage returned to PEBL for evaluation.
JULY 2025
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Farm Findings Series launched across social media platforms
MARCH 2026
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Data Dashboard sent to farm operators and WWF for feedback
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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 it's 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.
Objectives
Engage seaweed farming communities in environmental monitoring of seaweed farms.
SOLUTIONs
Deploying monitoring units of SubCams, GrowProbes and Chelonia Ltd. F-PODs at 6–8 seaweed farms across the UK
Building and maintaining an open-access data dashboard for farmers, regulators, and communities
Producing live video streams of marine life at farm sites
Training 2 local operators per farm in independent environmental monitoring
Training 40+ community members per farm in citizen science
Co-designing monitoring programmes with each farm and its local community
Producing data reports for stakeholders
Contributing biodiversity monitoring protocols to the UK Seaweed Forum's licensing guidance
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Meet the Participating Farms
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Large Scale Oyster Restoration
Oyster Heaven, Lake Veere, Netherlands
Summer 2025
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Oyster Heaven conducts visibility and deployment tests leading up to their first recording period.
SEPTEMBER 2025
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Deployment of 1X SubCam at oyster restoration site at 4.5 meters in the Veerse Meer (Lake Veere)
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30 days, recording 3X times a day at 9:00, 13:00 and 17:00
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FEBRUARY 2026
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PEBL and Oyster Heaven produce collaborative social media content highlighting SubCam and Oyster Heaven's "Mother Reef" Blocks
Sample Footage
Objectives
Visualize Oyster Heaven's restoration progress over time.
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Monitor native oyster colonization on Oyster Heaven's Mother Reef Blocks
Observe Mother Reef usage by other species in Veerse Meer
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.