Our ocean contains 80% of the world’s biodiversity, therefore the ocean is essential to our existence.
As we face increasing challenges from climate change, overfishing, and habitat loss, the health of our oceans has never been more critical.
The WWF Living Planet Report 2024 highlights a global crisis, revealing a catastrophic decline of 73% in wildlife populations over the last 50 years, as measured by the Living Planet Index (LPI).
Regenerative seaweed has emerged as not only a sustainable resource for food, health, materials, and climate solutions, but sustainable seaweed farming plays a vital role in supporting ocean biodiversity and restoring marine ecosystems.
Bailey Moritz, Lead Seaweed Specialist, World Wildlife Fund:
“Supporting biodiversity is one of the biggest priorities of our time because the health of our oceans directly impacts food security, climate resilience, and global economies. Ocean degradation and habitat loss threaten marine life and coastal communities, but sustainable seaweed farming offers a powerful solution – if scaled properly. Seaweed farms could restore marine ecosystems, create habitats, capture carbon, and mitigate ocean eutrophication, supporting both people and the planet. To truly catalyze this industry, we need infrastructure to process and market seaweed at scale.“
Seaweed Farms: A Sanctuary for Marine Life
Insights from The Nature Conservancy confirm that seaweed farms can improve biodiversity and the abundance of marine life and have been estimated to generate habitat for 1.4x more marine life.
Unlike some forms of aquaculture that can negatively impact the environment, seaweed farming is low-impact and regenerative. Seaweed farms can provide essential habitats for marine life, including:
- Fish and Shellfish: Seaweed farms act as nurseries for small fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. The dense underwater structures offer shelter from predators and support breeding grounds. According to The Nature Conservancy, a single hectare of restorative farms increases the abundance of wild fish by up to 5 tons per year.
- Invertebrates and Microorganisms: Seaweed surfaces and the year-round infrastructure of the farm itself become home to numerous microorganisms, forming the base of a diverse and productive food web. Kelp farms can provide both settlement and nursery habitats, and they are an important source of food for wild fish species.
By creating these biodiverse sanctuaries, seaweed farms can support marine populations – essential for healthy oceans. This research is hugely valuable and important for the growth of the sustainable seaweed farming industry.
Restoring Balance to Marine Ecosystems
Our oceans are increasingly threatened by issues such as habitat destruction, rising acidity, and pollution. Seaweed farming offers a natural solution to help restore balance in these fragile environments:
- Nutrient Remediation: Growing seaweed has a potentially important role in the fight against climate change, through nutrient absorption which helps mitigate ocean eutrophication. A single hectare of restorative farms can remove more than half a ton of nitrogen, which would cost ~$50k to remove through wastewater treatment.
- Absorbing CO2: “Seaweed farming can be conducted sustainably over expansive areas estimated to be as large as 677.832km by 2050. If achieving this scale, seaweed farming could deliver the removal of an estimated 0.24 PgCO2eyr stored in sediments below the farms.” This is equivalent to 90.8 million round-trip transatlantic flights per year. (DEFRA).
- Supporting Coastal Protection: Coastal areas are vulnerable to erosion caused by waves and storms. Seaweed farms stabilize underwater ecosystems by reducing wave energy and preventing sediment disruption to help protect coastlines.
A Sustainable Future for Our Oceans
Unlike traditional resources for agriculture and materials, seaweed farming requires no fresh water, no fertilizers, and no land, making it a sustainable alternative. The benefits extend beyond biodiversity:
- Food Security: More than 3 billion people are dependent on the ocean for protein, with fish representing at least 20% of their daily animal protein intake. Seaweed farming reduces pressure on wild fish stocks and offers an alternative resource to support food security.
- Economic Empowerment: 60m people in coastal regions currently rely on fishing for income therefore there is a need for regenerative seafood. Coastal communities can build sustainable livelihoods through seaweed farming while protecting the marine environments they depend on.
With 98% of the world’s current seaweed production already farmed, scaling up sustainable seaweed farming presents a powerful opportunity. Investing in processing infrastructure can turn seaweed into high-value products such as food, nutraceuticals, and materials, benefiting marine ecosystems, coastal economies, and addressing food security. By building this regenerative value chain, we can create lasting environmental, social, and economic impact for future generations.