In 2024, between May and July (the planting season), and with the help of over 40 volunteers, we harvested, processed, and replanted over 8,000 seagrass plants - rhizomes - in Loch Craignish over an area measuring approximately 485 square meters of seabed. We focused on a single area, Dun Mhuilig Bay, adjacent to an existing seagrass meadow, where the seabed has positive oxygen levels. The seagrass was planted in bundles, each covering 1 square meter of seabed. The most southern polygon was transplanted from 6 to 11 May, 2024. The first and second polygon above were transplanted from 4 to 8 June, 2024, and from 21 to 25 June, 2024. The most northern polygon was transplanted from 16 to 19 July, 2024.

With the help of 47 incredible volunteers from the UK, Europe, and beyond, our local team in Scotland transplanted 20,000 shoots over a five-week sprint this spring, potentially creating 2,600 m² of new seagrass meadow. That’s a 300% increase from last year’s efforts. They're growing, literally and figuratively. In 2024, we often planted bundles of 10 shoots at 2 bundles per square metre. This year, we switched it up: 1 bundle per square metre, and half of those only had 5 shoots. If this lower-density method works, it could quadruple our restoration capacity. We also kicked things off six weeks ahead of schedule this year, planting 2,000 shoots in late March. We’re testing if we can extend the planting season to gain more flexibility and free up time for oyster restoration later in the summer. Until now, all transplanting has happened next to existing seagrass meadows. But this year, we went bold: we planted in two areas where eDNA analysis suggested seagrass used to grow: - A site in Loch Craignish capped with land-quarried sand (see more on Van Oord below) - A completely new site in Loch Beag, just next door