The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy led by Australia's Prime Minister clearly recommends seaweed as a solution for a sustainable ocean economy.

This year marks Australia’s first harvests of commercial-grade, farmed ocean seaweeds – the first in September, the second in November. Both harvests, in Tasmania, have occurred under the auspices of the Seaweed Solutions Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P), funded through the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

An Australian innovation for seaweed biofilters to help protect the Great Barrier Reef is drawing attention at Davos 2021 this week as one of the top global innovations for protecting oceans. 11 innovations protecting life below water – and above it | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

After years of research and development, scientists and farmers are now working together to reduce methane emissions from dairy cattle with seaweed supplements. According to the CSIRO, if just 10% of the livestock industry took this up, it would produce the same positive environmental effect as removing 100 million cars from the road.

The Narungga Nation’s traditional lands in South Australia are set to become a world-leading aquaculture farm for a seaweed that can reduce cattle’s methane output by up to 99 per cent. The seaweed in question is a red algae called Asparagopsis taxiformis and it’s cool water relative Asparagopsis armata.

The Australian seaweed sector could grow to be worth $1.5 billion by 2040, employing 9000 people and helping to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent, according to the recently released Australian Seaweed Industry Blueprint.

Preliminary results from the latest study that Kebreab co-authored on the algae found that it reduces intestinal methane production in beef steers by more than 80% when added to their feed. Other research found reductions of up to 98%, without adverse effects on the cows’ weight or the quality of beef produced.

A company commercialising a CSIRO-developed, seaweed feed product, which slashes the amount of greenhouse gases cattle burp and fart into the atmosphere, has won a $1 million international prize for its work reshaping the food system.

Farming seaweed in targeted locations across the Great Barrier Reef could be the solution to safely soaking up excessive nitrogen that is damaging coastal ecosystems.

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change is washing up on shorelines around the world, unnoticed by most beachgoers. It’s seaweed.