SCORE Workshop: Scoping Red Seaweed Cultivation Opportunities in the UK (Pre-Conference event to SSIA 2026)

​Red seaweeds offer exciting opportunities for sustainable aquaculture from food and biotechnology to innovation, and growth within the UK's blue economy. Many of the red seaweeds found in UK waters (such as Palmaria, Chondrus, Porphyra/ Pyropia) have well established international markets in food, feed, pigments, dyes and cosmetics, yet their commercial cultivation remains untapped. UK seaweed industry is mainly focussed on brown seaweeds such as kelps and fucoids, while red seaweeds are often overlooked. Recently, SAMS developed a proof-of-concept for land-based cultivation for Palmaria palmata starting from spores. We were successful in achieving 10% consistent growth rate from laboratory to 300 L tanks (UKRI-BBSRC funded project FABRICS, BB/Z515309/1). We acknowledge Palmaria species are commercially cultivated vegetatively in other parts of the world in land-based system, we upscaled the biomass starting from spores that gives genetic advantage. We are now considering the next phase of validating our methods at pilot scale commercial set-ups and translating this knowledge to interested industry stakeholders. We are interested in understanding whether there is a potential interest in the UK seaweed community in red seaweed cultivation.

​Thus, we are conducting this workshop to assess the current state of knowledge, identify key challenges, opportunities, and explore pathways for developing red seaweed sector focussed on native UK species. This workshop aims to bring diverse stakeholders from academia and industry for a collaborative discussion and knowledge exchange to establish a shared vision for scoping and advancing red seaweed cultivation in the UK.

​See the draft agenda below in attachment (full agenda will be circulated closer to the event date).