Asparagopsis research to fast-track seaweed aquaculture

A suite of sector-focused research projects will help more people become involved in farming the methane-reducing Asparagopsis seaweed while raising the profile of the emerging seaweed aquaculture sector.

A national hatchery network, a guide to growing Asparagopsis and a mobile seaweed laboratory are among the outputs expected as part of $8.1 million of federal funding to accelerate seaweed aquaculture in Australia, under the 'Developing Australia's Seaweed Farming Program'.

Asparagopsis is a priority for the Australian Government for its ability to reduce methane emissions from livestock by up to 90% when used as a stock feed supplement.

Asparagopsis seaweed washed up on a beach, in Western Australia.

About 10 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock. Feed supplements that reduce emissions could make a major contribution to Australia's emission reduction targets.

As the peak sector body, the Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance (ASSA) has worked with FRDC to identify research priorities for funding, that was awarded in 2022. The FRDC is administering $8 million of the investment on behalf of the Australian Government (2022-207). Research outcomes are expected to provide strong foundations to help seaweed aquaculture expand in Australia, with the sector projected to be worth $1.5 billion by 2040, providing 9000 jobs.

Asparagopsis hatchery network and guide

ASSA Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Hermes says establishing a national hatchery network, of which two hubs are the initial phase, is the first step in establishing this sector (2022-208, 2023-078, 2023-081).

"A tropical hatchery hub has been established at James Cook University in Queensland, with a temperate hub at the South Australian Research and Development Institute in South Australia, employing a total of six research staff," he says.

The Tropical Hatchery hub was recently showcased in a video produced by James Sturt University and ASSA - you can check it out here.

Research at these hubs has focused on closing the lifecycle for Asparagopsis, cultivation techniques and reducing biofouling. This work will underpin an Asparagopsis production manual to be released early in 2025.

"The manual will be available to the public - to anyone who wants to go seaweed farming," says Lindsay. "It will provide step-by-step instructions to set up an Asparagopsis hatchery".

In addition to the hatchery hubs, another 10 sector facing projects have also been funded, all of which are due to be completed next year.

Lindsay says these projects include targeted research to encourage sectoral growth, as well as practical initiatives such as the 'Lab on wheels' project (2023-167). A prototype combined a mobile hatchery and laboratory to support smaller growers with propagation and field experiments on multiple seaweed species, as well as potentially the intra-state transport of seaweeds in a biosecure environment.

A permits portal will provide growers and potential growers with information about state and federal permitting requirements to start a seaweed farm (2023-194), while an education portal provides more general information about seaweed for the public (2023-196).

The permits portal will help potential sector players navigate what can be a complex regulatory environment. The education portal will raise awareness and support the social licence to operate in this emerging sector.

Multiple uses

Several research projects are optimising Asparagopsis hatchery and production practices: nutrient requirements (2023-165), light, energy and carbon delivery efficiency (2023-188) and new propagation techniques (2023-166).

Other projects are assessing value-added opportunities for Asparagopsis to supplement the methane-reducing components of the species.

This includes the use of Asparagopsis and other seaweeds in bioremediation roles to improve water quality (2023-193), as well as the potential for Asparagopsis to gain credits in the developing blue carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and biodiversity credit markets (2023-190).

A biorefinery project is assessing how Asparagopsis feedstocks could be used to produce other useful byproducts (2023-175) and another project will collate relevant health and safety regulations (2023-177).

Steven Clarke, a consultant working with FRDC to manage the suite of projects, says these projects will provide fundamental information for entrants to the sector, opening the way for further work to optimise Asparagopsis production processes.

"Enthusiasm was high among research and industry participants attending an ASSA workshop in October where the early results of research projects were presented.

"Final results are expected to be presented at the 2025 Seagriculture Asia-Pacific Conference in Adelaide from March 18 to 20, 2025, which is the first major global seaweed conference of its type to come to Australia," says Steven.

Related FRDC Page

Seaweed Aquaculture in Australia

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