Algae & aquatic plants

Netherlands-based North Sea Farmers says it has completed the world’s first mechanical harvest of an offshore seaweed farm, marking an important milestone in the development of Europe’s seaweed industry.

A seaweed and freshwater algae aquaculture licence has been granted to the University of Waikato and WaikatoLink Ltd in New Zealand.

Researchers from the EU’s REALM project are producing microalgae in drain water from greenhouses – allowing microalgae cultivators to cut their costs, clean farming water outputs and provide the aquaculture industry with…

Clean Seas has signed an R&D collaboration with CH4 Australia in order to produce methane-reducing Asparagopsis seaweed in its South Australian yellowtail kingfish hatchery.

A new project that aims to investigate growing kelp and mussels alongside offshore wind turbines – as well as researching the potential for artificial reefs – has been awarded a NOK 84 million (£7 million) grant.

Researchers have observed idoteas – small crustaceans that swim among the red seaweed Gracilaria gracilis – dispersing male algae gametes to other seaweeds, the way bees pollinate plants on dry land.

Hawai’i’s Blue Ocean Barns has completed a $20 million Series-A financing round, allowing the company to accelerate development on its methane-busting digestive aid for cattle.

India cultivated around 34,000 tonnes of seaweeds in 2021 and has scope for over 9 million more, according to the estimates of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI),

Three emerging startups in Ireland’s aquatech sector have presented their innovative concepts at Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s (BIM) and Hatch’s Innovation Studio Community Day.

A scheme which will provide €20 million in funding for capital investments to accelerate the sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector, has been announced by Ireland’s minister for agriculture, food and the marine, Ch…

The AltaSea Lab at the port of Los Angeles will host its third open house of 2022, focusing on kelp aquaculture, with kid-friendly science activities including a floating research lab and art workshop.

A range of aquatic species that are both cultured and occur in wild in the Netherlands are due to be monitored for their genetic diversity and then cryopreserved.

Chemical engineers have devised a way to create eco-friendly sound absorbers from agar – a jelly-like substance derived from seaweed – helping the industry pivot away from petrochemical foams.

A pioneering project with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and funded by WWF-UK, The Wildlife Trusts and RSPB will completely map the UK's blue carbon stores as part of the nation's climate resilience e…

A textile company that combines fashion with ocean literacy has joined forces with the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) to develop sustainable clothing dyes from seaweed.

A new life cycle sustainability analysis (LCSA) exploring the environmental impacts of using microalgae as a feed ingredient to replace fish oil has identified major sustainability trade-offs – making the switch could sh…

Jennifer O’Brien, founder of Sea and Believe, explains how childhood kelp baths not only restored her health but also helped to sow the seeds of a algae-based alt-seafood startup.

Swedish supermarket Coop is selling LOME, the world’s first “methane-reduced” beef, after sourcing beef from cows that were fed a new seaweed supplement from Volta Greentech that reduces enteric methane emissions.

"Kelp won't help," says University of Tasmania researcher John Barry Gallagher in an article in The Conversation on kelp's status as a carbon buster.