Belgium builds mussel and worm turret against storm

de panne - Belgium puts mussels, worms and seaweed in order to protect the coast from heavy storms. A 'natural artrifuge' of 100 square meters in the sea at 1.5 kilometers from the resort of De Panne must ensure that the beaches do not flush anymore in emergency weather.

State Secretary for the North Sea Philippe De Backer gave his fiat to the pilot project under the name Coastbusters on Thursday. 'It can!' He tweeted.

Next month, the project will start. First, cotton mats with seaweed are attached to the seabed, writes The Latest News. Then a specially developed rope is stretched underneath the water surface with mossel larvae that are once full grown on the bottom. There they cling together and create a natural reef with their shells. Finally, a few hundred meters to the shore comes a shell with shackle worms. They nest in the sand and make a lumber box. Together their booths are getting higher, like a wall.

The test lasts three years and is funded by five companies who want to sell the technique to success abroad.

State Secretary for the North Sea Philippe De Backer gave his fiat to the pilot project under the name Coastbusters on Thursday. 'It can!' He tweeted.

Next month, the project will start. First, cotton mats with seaweed are attached to the seabed, writes The Latest News. Then a specially developed rope is stretched underneath the water surface with mossel larvae that are once full grown on the bottom. There they cling together and create a natural reef with their shells. Finally, a few hundred meters to the shore comes a shell with shackle worms. They nest in the sand and make a lumber box. Together their booths are getting higher, like a wall.

The test lasts three years and is funded by five companies who want to sell the technique to success abroad.

Mossels, wormen en zeewier in #Noordzee als dam tegen superstormen? Het kan! Wetenschapper in mij popelt! #innovatie https://t.co/8aolgGjU6m

— Philippe De Backer (@debackerphil) 27 juli 2017