CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA), a prominent marine environmental consulting and survey company headquartered in Stuart, Florida, US, has recently inked a significant franchise agreement with Reef Arabia, a Bahrain-based enterprise. This partnership, sealed in January 2024, authorizes CSA to manufacture and install Reef Arabia’s innovative "Majfara Reef Replacement System" and "Seamount" artificial reef units across various territories, including US domains such as the Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii, as well as regions in South America and the Caribbean.

This agreement adds another proven tool to CSA’s capacity of utilizing advanced reef technologies and enhances CSA’s ability to implement effective mitigation measures tailored to safeguard coastal marine ecosystems from the impacts of nearby coastal development. These artificial reef structures serve a multifaceted purpose; countering the adverse effects on critical marine habitats, bolstering fish populations in proximity to coastal constructions and protected zones, supporting existing natural reefs threatened by overfishing, facilitating coral larvae settlement and relocation, attracting tourism for recreational diving, and serving as protective barriers for beaches.

Reef Arabia’s Majfara Reef Units were designed by marine biologists following extensive research into natural reef dynamics. These units boast several advantageous features, including seabed-like vertical relief, interlinked cave openings fostering fish habitats, expansive surfaces equipped with platforms for coral relocation and natural colonization, steel-free fabrication, and ease of transportation and deployment.

“CSA is excited to take the next step into improving our coastal resilience and living shoreline service offerings,” said Robert Mulcahy, CSA’s Chief Operating Officer. “From a project’s beginning to completion, this franchise agreement further broadens CSA’s suite of solutions designed to help coastal stakeholders and developers prioritize resilience strategies.”