Our vision is to restore marine and freshwater (blue) ecosystems.
Welcome to Sea Nest.
Restore degraded ecosystems
Sea Nest enables restoration of degraded blue ecosystems by providing eco-engineered substrate that mimics natural habitat.
Regenerate mahinga kai
Sea Nest products provide suitable surfaces and niches for mahinga kai species such as kelp, pāua, mussels, oysters, fish, octopus, and crayfish.
Cultivate marine species
Sea Nest is propagating target marine species (including Macrocystis kelp) to accelerate restoration and enable cultivation for commercial aquaculture.
Support sustainable aquaculture
Sea Nest supports aquaculture by enabling the cultivation and ‘bottom mounting’ of multiple species, delivering biodiversity benefits, and eliminating or reducing adverse effects.
Provide eco-friendly coastal protection
Sea Nest products are suitable for the construction of eco-engineered artificial reefs - delivering positive coastal protection and biodiversity outcomes.
Sequester carbon & adapt to climate change
Sea Nest is investigating the potential for artificial reefs and active restoration of marine environments to play a role in carbon sequestration and climate adaptation.
Sea Nest has developed NZ’s first locally designed, eco-engineered artificial reef modules.
Our first reef is being closely monitored to track biodiversity, species succession, module stability, pest species and other environmental benefits and impacts. Biodiversity benefits are exceeding expectations. Our first residents were spotties, also known as paketi (Notolabrus celidotus). The boom in spotty numbers then attracted larger predatory species including New Zealand blue cod (Parapercis colias) and an incredible Māori octopus (Macroctopus maorum).
See active restoration in action!
Sea Nest is actively planting and seeding species onto the Sea Nest reef, starting with pāua and Macrocystis kelp.
View more species on our ‘Reef Residents’ page, or follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn to watch the reef transform and see which species move in next!
What’s new about Sea Nest modules?
They’re low cost, scalable, and for all of NZ. Our modules are affordable, and easy to transport and deploy anywhere in NZ. Production by McGregor Concrete means we can easily scale up production, making marine restoration viable at a small and large scale.
They’re sustainable. Sea Nest modules are made from eco-friendly concrete, and produced using overpours - i.e., concrete that would otherwise go to waste.
They’re designed for NZ. Our modules are designed for temperate environments. They provide nursery habitat, refuge and substrate to support a wide range of species.
