Facilitating Algal Biotechnology with Rhodophyta for Intensive Culture

The development and expansion of red seaweed cultivation is important for the seaweed aquaculture industry because it contributes to half the net worth of world seaweed production. The demand for red seaweed is increasing as a source of hydrocolloids, food, feed, pigments, pharmaceuticals, and other biotech applications. However, this industry primarily relies on a few seaweed species, mainly cultivated in Asian countries, that are facing threats from climate change and increasing incidences of diseases. There is an urgent need to diversify seaweed cultivation practices to include important UK and European red seaweeds to help address the uncertainty in the red seaweed global market supply, as well as address sustainability and net zero targets. Palmaria palmata is a temperate red seaweed widely distributed along the Atlantic coast that is an established food ingredient, consumed historically for its high protein content, as well as beneficial nutraceutical and bioactive properties. There is an increased interest in the large-scale cultivation of this seaweed in the UK and Europe because it has an established market and consumer acceptance. However, the availability of large quantities of P. palmata year-round and at an affordable price, is a challenge for aquaculture due to the inability to produce sufficient seedstock, high spore mortality and scalability issues.

The FABRICS project will investigate sustainable and reliable large-scale cultivation of the red seaweed P. palmata by addressing sectoral challenges at the hatchery stage and improving health of cultivated Palmaria species. The main objectives of the project are:

O1) To optimize hatchery technology by testing different twines and microbiomes.

O2) To develop pathogen biocontrol measures to improve the health of seaweeds in the hatchery phase by incorporating predators.

O3) To understand the chemical signals involved in improving seaweed health against Palmaria pathogens in hatchery.

O4) To validate hatchery technology for improving large-scale cultivation.