The project’s aim was to tackle two interrelated challenges of today – the environmental and humanitarian crisis.

The increase in global population, changes in diet, and decreasing crop yield, are projected to result in a 70% ‘Calorie Gap’ by the year 2050. On the other hand, the depleted ocean now produces only 10% of the world’s food.

The challenge is to overcome the stagnation of marine food production and restore large scale marine food production. Beyond overfishing and climate change factors, the most serious limitation to seafood production are the dead zones, issues arising from pollution, caused by the amount of fertilisers, up to 75%, that ends up, via rivers, in coastal areas. With normal self-regulating capacity overwhelmed, food chains break down, and the result are “dead zones” areas which cover 4,500,000 km2, (the size of the EU), and grow by 400,000 km2 (the size of the Black Sea) each year.

Our ORTO concept is based on the patented “Pisa Reef” artificial vertical mussel reef technology. Pisa Reefs quickly builds into sustainable food chains, reviving devastated ecosystems and providing a sustainable source of high quality sea food to face the 30 yr. stagnation in the mussel industry, resulting in 33% import dependency.

Our Feasibility study objectives have been structured in 3 areas:

• Technology – we have virtually tested the Pisa Reef serial model, validated the Harvester prototype concept and designed the Mobile Production Line
• Commercial – we have refined the market/commercial approach; and have identified trial partners and locations; and studied the relevant Regulation and Certification
• Financial – we have completed a plan for the financial framework of the company for the upcoming scale up; Risk management

ORTO can make a profound contribution to EU Blue Growth strategy, and multiple Societal Challenges (Food Security and Climate Action in particular). For example, our interim goal is to reverse the 3 decades of market stagnation for mussels in the EU, and reduce imports.

ORTO is designed for rapid scaling around the globe, so that this low carbon food source can revolutionise global maritime food supply and significantly contribute to the long-term global food requirements. This contributes positively to EU/UN Sustainable Development Goals #2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, and 17.

ORTO can:

• Build maritime industry and communities
• Produce sustainable low-carbon food, by utilization of the open sea-shelf
• Grow ecosystems (coral reef effect)
• Heal eutrophication, revitalize dead zones

The next steps in the development of the ORTO project are to advance the sales; to identify partners for the performance evaluation stage of the technology in different marine aquatories; to initiate Pisa Reef serial production as well as seeking business partnerships.

Sea Harmony’s team is preparing Horizon 2020 Phase 2 application for €3,5 million.

Research and Restoration of the Essential Filters of the Sea (REEFS) is a pilot project focused on the scientific research of environmental impact of the artificial reefs in the area of Black sea countries. REEFS Project is a joint cross-border initiative of five partners from the riparian countries – Bulgaria (Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation), Ukraine (Odessa Branch of the Institute for Biology of the Southern Seas), Romania (Mare Nostrum NGO), Georgia (Ilia State University) and Turkey (Karadeniz Technical University).

Artificial reefs are often defined as any human-made structure or equipment deliberately placed in marine environment where that structure does not exist under natural circumstances. The purpose for constructing and placement of these structures under water is:

• enhancing the fishery resourches and increasing populations of all sorts of plants and animal marine life
• hydrobiological amelioration
• tourists entertainment

The Black Sea, as any other marine basin, has its ecological problems related to human activities and because  it is almost isolated from the World Ocean, these problems are more acute than those in open marginal seas having a free water exchange with the ocean:

• massive pre-fertilization of Black Sea with nitrogen and phosphorus compounds known as “anthropogenic euthrofication”
• disposal of unsufficient purified wastewaters
• degradation of bottom algal communities
• oxygen deficiency in near-bottom water layers
• unmanaged overfishing and bottom trawling
• lack of information and economic difficulties

The overall objectives of REEFS Project is to establish long-term partnership platform for scientific, technical, administrative and awareness raising activities in favour  of artificial reefs practice as a way of active support of the self-restoration of the Black Sea ecosystem.
Research and Restoration of the Essential Filters of the Sea (REEFS) is two-years project funded by the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin 2007-2013” under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument.