A new project, involving researchers from Glasgow University and Kelpcrofting, a seaweed farming startup, is investigating the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to predict biofouling of cultured seaweed and planktonic threats to farmed salmon.
Regenerative and restorative aquaculture operations, such as seaweed farms, can be economically – as well as ecologically – sound, according to two of the key players in the space.
Post-Brexit regulations are posing a threat to one of the UK’s oldest aquaculture sectors, in the Menai Strait – where mussel harvests have dropped from 7,500 tonnes in 2016 to around 400 tonnes in 2022.