SEAGRICULTURE 2021 switched to an online format
10th International Seaweed Conference

Post show press release


“Seagriculture 2021 successfully held in online format”

On 15 & 16 September the tenth edition of Seagriculture took place in an online format. Although that the tenth edition took place online the organizers have worked very hard to arrange a great line up in speakers and added new features such as the Seaweed Quiz, European Union – Seagriculture Algae Innovation Awards and a special USA night session focusing on seaweed activities in the USA.

More than 25 speakers from 11 countries worldwide shared their knowledge, expertise and above all passion for all aspects of seaweed farming. Not only the speakers focused on the technical aspects of seaweed farming but also aspects such as ecosystems, marketing, supply chain, sustainability and future developments were addressed.

With over 180 registrations this edition of Seagriculture was the best attended event so far. This clearly shows that the seaweed community is growing and that seaweed professionals are interested in a platform such as Seagriculture to share knowledge and connect with other professionals in the industry. In addition to the high number of registrations it was remarkable that the attendees were coming from all over the globe, overcoming different time zones. In total Seagriculture welcomed participants from 27 countries.

On 16th September, Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, European Commission, DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries handed out the European Union – Seagriculture Algae Innovation Award to: Green Technology Research Institute, CPC Corporation, from Taiwan - Gold, THE BLUE FUTURE from Spain - Silver and Rhodomaxx SDN BHD from Malaysia – Bronze and audience award.

In total 16 innovations were submitted from all over the globe of which 40% were submitted from Europe, this underlines the innovative character of the seaweed industry.

Transitioning to a sustainable blue economy requires investing in innovative technologies. Whether this is in wave or tidal energy, algae production, development of innovative fishing gear or restoration of marine ecosystems, the objective is to create new green jobs and businesses in the blue economy.

By funding the Seagriculture Innovation Awards the European Commission shows its commitment to transitioning to a sustainable blue economy and offers entrepreneurs and academia the possibility to contribute to this transformation by highlighting their innovative services and products which could make a positive impact to our blue economy.

During the USA night session, Dana Eidsness, director of the MENADO at Maine International Trade Center introduced Seagriculture USA 2022, which will be held on 7-8 September in Portland Maine.

Maine is one of the hotspots for seaweed farming in the USA so the choice for Portland, Maine, comes as a natural one. Seagriculture USA is being sponsored by: Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Maine Technology Institute (MTI), Maine International Trade Center (MITC) and Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO).

The USA edition comes in addition to the European edition of Seagriculture which will next year be held in Bremerhaven, Germany and which is being supported by Bremerhavener Gesellschaft für Investitionsförderung und Stadtentwicklung mbH. Seagriculture EU will be held on 29-30 June 2022. By organizing 2 annual editions of Seagriculture the organizers believe that they can even better serve the growing seaweed community, not only in Europe but now also in North America.

The organizers would like to thank all sponsors, speakers, chairs and partners for making Seagriculture 2021 a great success and supporting us in building an even greater platform for the seaweed community in the future.

More information on the 2022 editions of Seagriculture will be available soon on www.seagriculture.eu and www.seagriculture-usa.com

17 September 2021
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