Partners for Environmental Progress and The University of South Alabama Announce Partnership with The Eagle Reef

Shell’s initial goal was to deploy 50 reefs. With an overwhelming response, he quickly raised more than $52,000 and deployed 175 reefs. The project’s success caught regional recognition and Shell was approached by PEP, who awarded him with their Environmental Partner of the Year award in 2022. In addition, PEP and The University of South Alabama SSoMES became involved, helping Shell transition the project and give it additional momentum.

“We are very proud to partner with John and South Alabama to rally the business and industrial community around the inspiring effort to help reestablish habitats, increase our marine life populations and improve the water quality of Mobile Bay,” PEP Gulf Coast Environmental Foundation’s President Tom Bramlett stated. “Partnering with The Eagle Reef was an easy decision. PEP has been advocating for environmental stewardship and best practices, but we now have an opportunity to actively improve the quality of our waters and fisheries.”

PEP and The University of South Alabama SSoMES are expanding the project to deploy 1,000 reefs, which will filter up to 10 billion gallons of water annually and create habitats for up to 500,000 fish and crabs per year in Alabama’s coastal waters. The University of South Alabama will assist in location identification, deployment, stocking, maintaining and monitoring the reefs for the project in addition to testing the waters surrounding them.

“The University of South Alabama is committed to helping restore our coastal resources and is very excited to partner with the Alabama Marine Resources, Partners for Environmental Progress, John and The Eagle Reef to achieve this goal,” said Jo Bonner, University of South Alabama president. “Partnering with the industry is a major goal of SSoMES – it provides an incredible opportunity for our students to gain invaluable experiences and provide for career development and jobs. We hope that this is just one of many projects that we can partner with PEP on.”

The reefs will be installed under the wharfs and docks of private individuals, marinas, restaurants and other structures in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Each reef can filter up to 30,000 gallons of water per day and 10 million gallons annually.

The next phase of The Eagle Reef project is expected to be completed in 2024. Reefs are available for businesses, nonprofits and individuals to purchase, or they may be adopted through donations. For more information on how to get involved or make a tax-deductible donation, visit theeaglereef.com.