Pine Island Redfish, a Florida-based regenerative aquaculture company cultivating red drum and halophytic plants, has announced a new collaboration with MANG, an environmental apparel company working to save coastal ecosystems through its Buy One. Plant One.^® initiative.

Pine Island Redfish and MANG are teaming up to collect mangrove seeds as part of its Propagule Collection Project. Volunteers are fanning out across the state’s gulf coastline to collect mangrove propagules, which will be nurtured through early growth in Pine Island Redfish’s nursery spaces, prior to being transplanted along the west coast of Florida.  

“What a fantastic project to kick off our collaborative work with MANG, another Florida-based company with a shared vision for strengthening our coastal community ecosystems,” said Pine Island Redfish Co-Founder and CEO Megan Sorby. “MANG’s amazing gear supports their core mission to restore our mangrove ecosystems. And at Pine Island Redfish, we are passionate about producing our fish in a way that also supports restorative improvements to our coastal ecosystems and communities."

Pine Island Redfish uses recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology to farm redfish and also repurposes fish waste to cultivate nutrient-rich and climate stabilizing plants. These salt tolerant plants include mangroves, which sequester carbon at a rate ten times greater than mature tropical forests.

MANG, founded in 2015 by twin brothers Keith and Kye Rossin, is an outdoor apparel company that funds mangrove restoration to protect coastal ecosystems. Public outreach and education are central to MANG's success: volunteers participate in every part of the process from collecting and planting mangrove seeds (propagules) to the transplanting of mangroves out into coastal areas.

“We cultivate our mangroves for two years or more before planting in the wild and water them using fresh salt water to ensure our MANGs are ready for whatever nature throws at them,” explains MANG Co-Founder Keith Rossin. “We launched a Buy One. Plant One. initiative to support mangrove restoration, not only in Florida but internationally. It’s all made possible by our volunteers and key collaborations with like-minded, innovative companies such as Pine Island Redfish.”

This collaboration will allow MANG the opportunity to expand their initiatives on the west coast and likewise provide Pine Island Redfish the opportunity to continue scaling mangrove production with several project outlets.

"This type of community engagement is critical to the success of environmental initiatives - everyone has to be in on it,” added Sorby. “We find this in aquaculture as well; we are the business neighbor that is providing healthy, beautiful seafood while supporting ecosystem health and community resilience.”