Ireland is leading a new EU-backed initiative to scale sustainable seaweed farming while restoring marine ecosystems across Europe. The SEAGROW project is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and is coordinated from Ireland by Óir Na Farraige. The project aims to improve productivity in seaweed cultivation while enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem health.

SEAGROW officially began in late 2025. Project partners met this month at Trinity College Dublin for the first in-person kick-off meeting. The consortium brings together partners from five EU countries to advance regenerative aquaculture and integrated farming systems. SEAGROW has a total eligible value of €1.43 million and is supported by EU funding at a rate of 70%.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara has welcomed the project’s alignment with Ireland’s seaweed strategy. “The SEAGROW project directly aligns with BIM’s Irish Macro Algal Cultivation Strategy to 2030,” said Richard Donnelly, Interim CEO at BIM. He said the focus on innovative cultivation technologies supports the need to increase farmed seaweed volumes in a sustainable and profitable way.

The project will test advanced cultivation approaches designed to increase yields while reducing labour, materials, and production costs. Environmental and biodiversity impacts will be assessed to support evidence-based best practice in marine farming.

SEAGROW will also examine integrated aquaculture systems to support more resilient coastal livelihoods. Over its lifetime, the project will deliver tools including standard operating protocols, environmental assessment frameworks, and decision-support systems.

Feasibility studies will also explore expansion into the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. “For the Black Sea region, the project provides an opportunity to explore how regenerative seaweed farming could support ecosystem restoration,” said Ina Agafonova of the Via Pontica Foundation.

Industry representatives say collaboration is central to the project’s approach. “In Ireland, we have a word — fite fuaite — meaning intertwined,” said Gareth Murphy, Managing Director of Óir na Farraige. He said the project brings together science and industry to support sustainable food production while protecting marine ecosystems.

SEAGROW supports the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and EU guidelines for sustainable aquaculture.

Source - https://afloat.ie