GRASS

New knowledge to untap potential of macroalgae cultivation to protect environment and do business

With the help of GRASS, ministries, regional administrations and municipalities learned about socio-economic benefits of macroalgae cultivation, like job creation, reduction of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. They gained the knowledge about opportunities, such as new products and markets as well as the protection of the environment. The project highlighted that the seaweed provided habitat for small marine species, as well as took carbon from the atmosphere and improved water quality. They also gained the knowledge about risks, like unfriendly legislation and overly strict licensing of cultivation sites, start-up costs, international competition. For example, macroalgae was not mentioned in policy documents such as the Baltic Sea Action Plan updated in 2021. Furthermore, macroalgae cultivation completed with other sectors such as shipping.

Altogether, 18 transnational and regional stakeholder meetings were organised in the participating countries: Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Latvia, Germany, and Russia. These meetings brought authorities closer to the industry and created a platform to start a dialogue on what needed to be adjusted in terms of policy and regulations.

Based on this exchange and networking, the partners created a macroalgae working group that serves as a platform for stakeholders (policymakers and industry partners) across the region to meet, discuss the latest developments and share experiences also after the end of the project.

New tools to set up macroalgae cultivation sites

The partner in the project, the Estonian Marine Institute of the University of Tartu, pooled together all available data on environmental proxies and macroalgal production to quantify their relationships, as well as to predict macroalgae production at the Baltic Sea scale. They also built a similar model for
macroalgal beach cast (or beach wrack) to predict potential beach cast production at the Baltic Sea scale. The resulting maps are useful for maritime spatial planning as they enable the identification of areas most suitable for macroalgae farming and/or beach-cast harvesting. From the range of suitable sites, areas can then be identified that allow for the long-term cultivation, while considering trade-offs and possible conflicts with existing industries (fishing, shipping routes, etc.). Access to the information is open via the user-friendly Operational Decision Support System (ODSS) web platform