Ireland Leads Europe in Next-Generation Regenerative Ocean Farming

EU-funded SEAGROW project to advance sustainable seaweed cultivation and ecosystem restoration across European waters

Europe is backing a new flagship initiative to help scale sustainable seaweed cultivation while strengthening marine ecosystems across European waters.

Through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the European Union has awarded funding to SEAGROW, Seaweed in Ecosystem Enhancing Aquaculture for Growth and Sustainability, a European project coordinated from Ireland by Óir Na Farraige. As an Irish regenerative, nature positive aquaculture company, Óir Na Farraige is developing scalable seaweed farming systems that improve productivity while enhancing marine ecosystems.

The project officially began in the last quarter of last year. Partners met in person for the first time this month for a kick off meeting hosted at Trinity College Dublin, bringing together Irish and European partners to launch the collaboration and begin delivery on SEAGROW’s work to improve the productivity, environmental performance, and economic viability of seaweed cultivation and integrated aquaculture systems, supporting sustainable marine food production, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience.

With a total eligible project value of €1,427,742.73, SEAGROW is supported by EU funding at a rate of 70% under EMFAF.  The project is made up of 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. “The project will generate evidence needed to evaluate the feasibility of transferring such nature-positive models to sensitive marine basins like the Black Sea."

The project also includes a Europe-wide outreach programme, with stakeholder engagement activities in partner countries and at EU level.

Industry perspective

“In Ireland, we have a word — fite fuaite — meaning intertwined,” said 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.”

A European collaboration led from Ireland

A core challenge facing aquaculture is how to increase output and reduce unit production costs while still operating within environmental limits and increasingly constrained marine space. SEAGROW brings together a European collaboration to help address this challenge, managed from Ireland and implemented with partners in Portugal, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Malta, and Ireland. Together, the consortium combines operational experience, scientific assessment, and policy expertise to support more productive and environmentally responsible seaweed cultivation. The project consortium includes:

Advancing EU blue economy goals

SEAGROW supports the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and the EU Strategic Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture, reinforcing Europe’s commitment to sustainable food systems, biodiversity protection, and coastal resilience.

Read more on  https://www.seagoinggreen.org/seagrow-home