Mini Reefs
Another project that has shown promise in
fi ghting red tide is the use of mini reefs.
“Ocean Habitats, a company that
commercially produces ‘living dock’ structures
called ‘Mini Reefs,’ has shown cleaner water
and successful habitat restoration of canals
in Marco Island,” said Lovko. “The habitat
improvement resulted in the return of
numerous fi sh species to the canals, and
even dolphins that would come to feed on
the fi sh. These artifi cial reefs could be used to
potentially fi lter red tide out of limited volumes
of water in a more natural way that does not
use chemicals and helps to restore lost habitat.”
The artifi cial mini reefs are proven to last
a lifetime and literallyeat nitrates, algae and
phosphates, consume them out of the water
and fi lter them. Mini reefs eat cyanobacteria
and they eat the red tide.
In November of 2021 the Rotary Club of
Englewood got involved in the mini reef
project and helped to get 32 of the reefs
installed underneath the boardwalk at
Englewood’s Farlow’s on the Water, a popular
restaurant. The Rotary Clubs of Englewood,
Venice Suncoast and Venice Nokomis are
partnering with the non-profi t Ocean Habitats
to offer mini reefs to the community and were
able to sponsor a “buy one, get one half off”
sale through December of 2021.
“Abundant, clean water is the foundation of
our region’s environment, quality of life, and
economy,” said a spokesman for the Rotary
Club of Englewood in a written statement. “Our
canals provide homeowners with easy water
access to our diverse waterways, but homes
built on those waterways have led to the loss
of mangroves and wetlands that provided
natural fi ltration of pollutants … worse, the
cumulative effect of the algae and nutrients
being introduced into our waterways has
further intensifi ed the effects and frequency
of red tide. We look to our elected offi cials to
enact public policy to solve the quality of our
local waterways, but everyone can help.”
If you are interested in purchasing a mini
reef from the Rotary Club, call Pat Bieneman at
(941) 258-4527.
While mini reefs have shown promise, it is just one
tool in the arsenal in the fi ght to eliminate red tide.
Crosby said Florida is leading the way in the United
States in utilizing decades of red tide research and
monitoring to deliver innovative technologies that
can be deployed to decrease the impacts of the
harmful algal blooms in our environment, economy
and quality of life.
“We’re still in the early stages of this six-year
initiative, yet we’re already able to have early-stage
technology ready to rapidly deploy for fi eld testing,”
said Crosby. “That’s the power of science, and
how by bringing together the best and brightest
minds, we can create solutions to help our
communities.”
Above, coral development brings life back into the
waterways. Mini ecosystems create life and from there
water purifi cation begins. Opposite page, DeSantis at the
ribbon cutting for the state-of-the-art recirculating seawater
facility located at the Mote Aquaculture Research Park.