Moppy
Ocean plants are dying rapidly because of the increase in water temperatures caused by climate change, and over 40% of the plant material in the ocean has died since 1950. The plants will continue to do so unless something changes. Many fish repopulate with a technique called broadcast spawning, where their sticky eggs attach to plants until they hatch. However, without plants, there is no where for the eggs to stick to. Moppy is a short term solution to temporarily replace the missing phytoplankton in the ocean, but is not a long term solution.
We are making mop spawners out of sponge and yarn, to replicate how plants look and move in the water. These spawners give fish a safe place to breed as well as give young fish a safe place to hide, and we plan on testing these in local aquariums and tanks before fully scaling our project to the ocean. So far, we have introduced them into two tanks, and hope to hear from other local businesses interested in fighting climate change.
