© Sea Going Green
Through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the European Union (EU) has awarded funding to SEAGROW – Seaweed in Ecosystem Enhancing Aquaculture for Growth and Sustainability. Coordinated from Ireland by Óir Na Farraige, the project aims to develop scalable seaweed farming systems that improve productivity while enhancing marine ecosystems.
The project officially began in the final quarter of 2025, with partners meeting in person for the first time in January 2026 for a kick-off meeting hosted at Trinity College Dublin. The collaboration is designed to improve the productivity, environmental performance, and economic viability of seaweed cultivation. By integrating aquaculture systems, SEAGROW plans to support sustainable marine food production, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience.
With a total value of more than €1.4 million, SEAGROW is supported by the EU funding at a rate of 70 percent. The consortium comprises partners from five different EU countries.
Richard Donnelly, Interim CEO at Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) Ireland’s seafood development agency, spoke of the agency’s support of the SEAGROW project, noting how closely it aligns with its seaweed strategy, and said: “The SEAGROW project, being led by Óir na Farraige, directly aligns with BIM’s Irish Macro Algal Cultivation Strategy to 2030, a strategy that is essentially a roadmap for industry to develop their processing capabilities. The project’s use of innovative seaweed cultivation technologies in Ireland with a focus on improving productivity and performance directly speaks to the need to increase the volume of farmed seaweed to ensure a sustainable and economically profitable industry in Ireland.”
Innovation grounded in evidence
SEAGROW will demonstrate advanced seaweed cultivation approaches designed to increase yield per hectare while reducing material use, labour intensity, and production costs within existing licensed marine space.
Working with Trinity College Dublin, the project will generate robust environmental and biodiversity data to inform best practice and evidence-based decision-making. Integrated aquaculture interactions will also be assessed to explore opportunities for diversified and resilient coastal livelihoods.
Building Europe’s regenerative aquaculture capacity
Over its lifetime, SEAGROW will deliver practical tools and evidence to support the responsible scaling of regenerative aquaculture across Europe, including:
- Standard operating protocols for regenerative ocean farming
- Environmental and biodiversity assessment frameworks
- Decision-support tools to inform sustainable aquaculture development
- Feasibility studies for expansion into the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins
"For the Black Sea region, the project is expected to provide a valuable opportunity to explore how regenerative seaweed farming could support both sustainable production and ecosystem restoration,” said Ina Agafonova, founder of Via Pontica Foundation and SEAGROW partner for the Black Sea region, in a press release. “The project will generate evidence needed to evaluate the feasibility of transferring such nature-positive models to sensitive marine basins like the Black Sea."
“In Ireland, we have a word – fite fuaite – meaning intertwined,” added Gareth Murphy, managing director of Óir na Farraige and chair of the Irish Seaweed Association. “SEAGROW brings together science, industry, and European collaboration to strengthen how we produce food from the ocean while protecting marine ecosystems. This project is about building practical evidence and scalable models that can support sustainable growth while maintaining high environmental standards in Ireland and across Europe.”
The consortium addresses the challenge of increasing output within constrained marine space. It includes Óir na Farraige and Clear Seas Aqua from Ireland, the Atlantic International Research Centre in Portugal, Sea Going Green in the Netherlands, Via Pontica Foundation in Bulgaria, and the AquaBioTech Group in Malta.
By supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and the EU Strategic Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture, SEAGROW reinforces the EU’s commitment to sustainable food systems, biodiversity protection and coastal resilience.
Read more about SEAGROW on Sea Going Green's website.
