Conference Program

Seagriculture EU

18 - 20 June 2024

Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Theme of Seagriculture EU 2024: Bridging Continents

The theme of Seagriculture EU 2024, Bridging Continents, transcends borders and oceans to unite seaweed enthusiasts from diverse corners of the world. We'll delve deep into the global landscape of seaweed cultivation, harvesting, and innovation, learning from the unique experiences and perspectives of experts and enthusiasts from various countries and continents. Get ready to build connections, share insights, and uncover the potential of seaweed on a global scale. Seagriculture EU 2024 is where the world of seaweed meets, exchanges, and thrives.

Program is tentative and subject to change.

Site visit to Ocean Rainforest: Tuesday 18 June 2024

Join the exclusive site visit during Seagriculture EU 2024. The site visit is a full day trip and will take place on 18th June: 

START: 08:00

  • Each bus will be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide from Ocean Rainforest, and their team members will be on hand to provide explanations about the operations at each site
  • See their production and the hatchery
  • Enjoy the view of the cultivation sites of Ocean Rainforest from land
  • Embark on a breathtaking boat journey to explore the cultivation site more closely and witness seaweed harvest in operation. 
  • Experience a scenic drive on the Faroe Islands 
  • Have lunch with a beautiful view (lunch is included)

END: Around 17:00

Get-together at Hotel Hafnia: 18:00 - 19:30 (Beverages at own expenses.)


We hope for favourable weather conditions in order to offer our participants the full experience. Please note that we might need to make some changes in case of bad weather.

Conference day 1: Wednesday 19 June 2024

8:00 - 9:00 Welcome Coffee

9:00 - 9:25 Opening of the conference

Kuno Jacobs, Managing Director, DLG Benelux, The Netherlands

Høgni Hoydal, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, Faroe Islands

Ólavur Gregersen, CEO & Co-founder, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

Morning Chair: Ólavur Gregersen, CEO & Co-founder, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

9:25 - 9:45 Keynote presentation

Algae in Europe – an Ocean of Opportunities

Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General, DG MARE, Belgium

9:45 - 10:45 Session 1: Bridging Continents

The theme of this year’s conference is Bridging Continents. During this session experts from around the world will give an overview of the state of play on the different continents, and stimulate collaboration between stakeholders at the different continents.

9:45 - 10:05: A Global Seaweed Coalition to enable a seaweed revolution

Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Advisor Ocean, United Nations Global Compact, France

10:05 - 10:25: Navigating challenges and fostering unity in Alaska's growing mariculture industry

Melissa Good, Mariculture Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Sea Grant, USA

10:05 - 10:25: Navigating challenges and fostering unity in Alaska's growing mariculture industry

Nick Mangini, Mariculture Director, Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference, USA

10:25 - 10:45: Industry & development of seaweed and marine algae in Greater China 

K. Jim Jem, Visiting Professor & Researcher, Chinese Academy of Science NIMTE, China

10:45 - 11:15 Coffee Break / Trade Show

11:15 - 12:35 Session 2: Innovative applications for seaweeds

Everyone is aware of the use of seaweeds as hydrocolloids and in Asian cuisine. During this session we will hear about new, innovative applications for seaweeds in food, feed and other applications.

11:15 - 11:35: How to get seaweed in animal feed?

Rene Schepens, Director, FermentationExperts, The Netherlands

11:35 - 11:55: Making sustainable living common place with seaweed

Sarah Hosking, Biosourcing Platform Manager, Unilever, United Kingdom

11:55 - 12:15: Status of the science and commercialisation of the Red Sea plume Asparagopsis as a methane inhibitor for red meat and dairy production

Rob Kinley, Chief Scientist, FutureFeed, Australia

12:15 - 12:35: Regulatory positioning and related aspects of novel seaweed ingredients in the EU - what is beneficial to know already at product development phase

Mari Lyyra, Head of Operations, Food & Feed and Cosmetics, Oy Medfiles Ltd, Finland 

12:35 - 13:50 Lunch / Trade Show

Afternoon Chair: Bert Groenendaal, Innovation Manager, AtSeaNova, Belgium

13:50 - 14:10 Keynote presentation

Seaweed as a very important source of nutrition and also potentially just as important in achieving our sustainability goals

Piet Bogaert, Food & Bio Innovation Leader, Cargill, Belgium

14:10 - 15:00 Session 3: Panel discussion on the state-of-play and challenges towards a thriving European seaweed industry

During this panel discussion, various European seaweed stakeholder organizations will discuss the current state of play in the various European coastal regions, and the challenges that need to be overcome to accomplish a thriving European seaweed industry.

Moderator of the panel discussion

Rhianna Rees, Business Development Manager, SSIA, United Kingdom

Panelist

Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, DG MARE, Belgium

Panelist

Adrien Vincent, Member of Management Team, EU4Algae, France

Panelist

Eef Brouwers, General Manager, North Sea Farmers, The Netherlands

Panelist

Maren Sæther, Deputy Chair, Norwegian Seaweed Association, Quality and Processing Manager, Seaweed Solutions, Norway

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break / Trade Show

15:30 - 16:50 Session 4: Seaweed of the year 2024 - Dulse

During this session the red seaweed dulse will be in the spotlight. Four experts will discuss cultivation aspects (on land and at sea), and the applications of this delicious seaweed.

15:30 - 15:50: Dulse: a chicken and egg story. The potential of dulse as a feed supplement for chickens and creating the conditions to make this a reality

Paddy Estridge, CEO, Seaweed Generation, United Kingdom 

15:50 - 16:10: Palmaria palmata cultivation: challenges, opportunities, and scaling up

Gianluca Bizzaro, Research Specialist, Hortimare, The Netherlands

16:10 - 16:30: Palmaria palmata cultivation in the Faroe Islands – diversification as a key factor in sustainable seaweed production development 

Agnes Mols Mortensen, Science Director, TARI – Faroe Seaweed, Faroe Islands

16:30 - 16:50: Bioactivity and nutraceutical potential of Palmaria palmata

Pierre Edouard Liboureau, PhD fellow, University of Stavanger, Norway

16:50 - 17:20 Seaweed Elevator Pitches

The Seaweed Elevator Pitches offer a unique, fast-paced, and diverse session where presenters have five minutes to deliver a concise, impactful presentation on their activities and innovative ideas. All topics are possible as long as they deal with seaweeds.

Cost reductions in seaweed farm design and operation

Tobias Dewhurst, Ocean Engineer, Kelson Marine Co., USA

Community-driven farming for the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basins through REgeneRative aquaculture (C-FAARER)

Nessa O'Connor, Professor & Researcher, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland

Seaweed aquaculture in Aotearoa New Zealand

Johan Svenson, Science Impact Manager, Cawthron Institute, New Zealand

LOOP Farm – a fully automated aquaculture system for seaweed

Rune Sakslo, CEO, Blue Harvest Technologies, Norway

17:20 - 17:30 Closing of the conference day

17:30 - 18:15 Seaweed Tasting

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18:15 Pick-up at the Nordic House. A bus will bring participants to Hotel Foroyar for the conference dinner

18:30 - 21:30 Conference dinner at Hotel Foroyar 

Conference day 2: Thursday 20 June 2024

8:00 - 9:00 Welcome Coffee

Morning Chair: Michele Stanley, Associate Director for Science, Enterprise and Innovation, SAMS, United Kingdom

9:00 - 9:15 Opening of the conference day

9:15 - 9:35 Keynote presentation

Scaling U.S. kelp supply through collaborative farmer networks

Lindsay Olsen, Director of Training & Support, GreenWave, USA

9:35 - 10:55 Session 5: Scaling up cultivation in exposed areas

As nearshore coastal areas are becoming scarce due to multiple use such as fisheries, tourism, and other nearshore activities, seaweed cultivation will soon shift to truly offshore areas. During this session experts will discuss colocation, materials and other aspects related to offshore cultivation.

9:35 - 9:55: Factors influencing the value of farmed seaweed

Charlie Bavington, CTO, Oceanium, United Kingdom

9:55 - 10:15: Advanced seaweed farming

Bert Groenendaal, Innovation Manager, AtSeaNova, Belgium

10:15 - 10:35: Multi-use systems – a solution to competing interests in offshore space? Lessons learned from the German North Sea pilot

Eva Strothotte, Project Manager, R&D Centre University of Applied Sciences GmbH, Germany

10:35 - 10:55: Experiences with design, installation and operation of an exposed seaweed farm off the Norwegian coast

Eivind Lona, Senior Project Manager, SINTEF Ocean, Norway

10:55 - 11:25 Coffee Break / Trade Show

11:25 - 12:15 Session 6: Panel discussion on a sound financial ecosystem for large scale seaweed cultivation in Europe

A unique and diverse panel representing investors, farmers, offtakers, and other representatives will discuss the challenges to come to a sound financial ecosystem for large scale seaweed production in Europe.

Moderator of the panel discussion

Marc von Keitz, Director Oceans, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, USA

Panelist

Olavur Gregersen, CEO & Co-founder, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

Panelist

Rene Schepens, Director, FermentationExperts, The Netherlands

Panelist

Clément Hochart, Founding Partner, SCOBY Collective, USA

Panelist

Ulrike Hees, Senior Research Manager KTC Renewable Raw Materials Group Research, BASF SE, Germany

Panelist

Jason Mitchell, Co-Founder, Norfolk Green Ventures, USA

 12:15 - 12:45 Seaweed Elevator Pitches

The Seaweed Elevator Pitches offer a unique, fast-paced, and diverse session where presenters have five minutes to deliver a concise, impactful presentation on their activities and innovative ideas. All topics are possible as long as they deal with seaweeds.

A baseline studies programme for sustainable and resilient seaweed cultivation in Faroese fjords 

Birgitta Andreasen, Researcher, Firum, Faroe Islands

From kelp to creatures: the impact of seaweed cultivation on biodiversity

Jóhanna Alberg, Research Assistant, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

OLAMUR: low-trophic offshore aquaculture in Nordic multi-use contexts

Øivind Bergh, Senior Scientist, Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Pulsed electric field processing of kelp: advantages, challenges and opportunities for industrial applications

Dagbjørn Skipnes, Senior Scientist, Nofima, Norway

12:45 - 14:00 Lunch / Trade Show

Afternoon Chair: Silje Forbord, Research Manager, SINTEF Ocean, Norway 

14:00 - 14:20 Keynote presentation

AquaWhere? The science of siting aquaculture for sustainable industry growth

James A. Morris, Jr., Marine Ecologist, NOAA National Ocean Service, USA

14:20 - 15:20 Session 7: Breeding and seeding aspects

Presentations from experts in the field of breeding and seeding aspects. How to further increase production yields of kelp species? Twine seeding vs direct seeding. And more.

14:20 - 14:40: Selective breeding, the Gene for Gene concept and biobanking

Michele Stanley, Associate Director for Science, Enterprise and Innovation, SAMS, United Kingdom

14:40 - 15:00: Seeding technology

Floor Marsman, Data Analyst & Researcher, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

15:00 - 15:20: Recent developments in breeding and seeding techniques to improve yield at sea

Ana Borrero, Hatchery Manager, Seaweed Solutions, Norway

15:20 - 15:50 Coffee Break / Trade Show

 15:50 - 16:35 Seaweed Elevator Pitches

The Seaweed Elevator Pitches offer a unique, fast-paced, and diverse session where presenters have five minutes to deliver a concise, impactful presentation on their activities and innovative ideas. All topics are possible as long as they deal with seaweeds.

Running Tide: macroalgae cultivation and deployment in Iceland

Matthew S. Haynsen, Macroalgae Cultivation Scientist, Running Tide, USA / Iceland

Seaweeds for fertilization of agricultural crops

Anne-Kristin Løes, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK), Norway

Improved filtration for land-based systems 

Jakob Surber, Technical Specialist Aquaculture & Water Treatment, Dryden Aqua, Switzerland 

New insights on the production, biodegradation and characterization of organic carbon from cultivated Saccharina latissima in Norway

Luiza Neves, PhD Candidate & Research Scientist, SINTEF Ocean / NTNU, Norway

Enzyme assisted extraction for protein isolation from the red seaweed Palmaria palmata

Oscar Elizondo Sada, PhD candidate, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Processing farmed kelp for the food industry

Arne Duinker, Researcher, Institute of Marine Research, Norway

16:35 - 16:45 Closing of the conference

*The conference program is subject to change*

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