Townsville facility launches to help fast-track $100 million seaweed industry of the future

TOWNSVILLE, Australia, Wednesday 20 December 2023

A strategically important high-tech aquaculture facility is launching today in Townsville to turbo-charge the growth of Australia’s sustainable seaweed aquaculture industry.

The facility, located on the Douglas Campus of James Cook University, includes dedicated scientific lab space, latest research equipment and specialist outdoor seaweed growing areas.

The site is a key part of a new National Hatchery Network (NHN) which will be rolled out across specific coastal locations around Australia with the purpose of supporting the emerging seaweed industry.

A top priority for the facility will be rapid research development and cultivation of Asparagopsis, a native red seaweed which occurs naturally in waters off Townsville and Adelaide. Asparagopsis has been prioritised for rapid research development and cultivation scale up due to its methane-reducing properties in livestock.

“The NHN has been identified as having the potential to fast-track production and support current and emerging growers by providing the scientific capability to take the industry to the next level,” said Chair of ASSA, Jo Kelly.

The Townsville facility is one of two pivotal scientific research hubs, with the second just launched in Adelaide, SA. Townsville was specifically selected to grow the tropical zone species of Asparagopsis and the Adelaide hub for the temperate species.

The NHN is a shared facility jointly operated by the newly formed industry leadership group, the Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance (ASSA) and James Cook University (JCU), where the hub is housed. JCU is the leading university for marine science and tropical marine aquaculture in Australia.

The JCU Research Team will be led by Dr Mark Cyrus, from the College of Science and Engineering, who specialises in the aquaculture of seaweeds and other low trophic species. “The development of Seaweed aquaculture in Australia is a big step towards further improving the future sustainability of the aquaculture sector as it expands, and I am excited to be part of the development of the NHN,” said Dr Cyrus.

The facility will also employ a team of dedicated ASSA researchers, headed up by Senior Marine Researcher, Aline Martins, to carry out advanced seaweed growing experiments on site.

Dr Margie Rule, a senior phycologist and ASSA’s NHN Program Manager, welcomed Ms Martins’ appointment at the new NHN, and said the facility would fill significant gaps in knowledge and other challenges to growth that were identified following a year-long review.

“Many growers said they were being held back by a lack of access to basic cultivation (or growing) information and expertise. Other technical issues included contamination of cultures, hatchery design and technology needs and seeding methodology. The NHN through these hubs aims to alleviate this, by fostering research and creating an environment to draft and share information,” said Dr Rule.

“This cutting-edge new Townsville hub will facilitate sector-wide collaboration. It represents an important investment in the future of science in Queensland, and will bring new jobs to the state,” Dr Rule continued.

These key Asparagopsis hatcheries will help companies to grow seaweed supply with the aim to help the Australian Government meet their important methane emissions reduction targets and lay the foundational groundwork for a wider network for other seaweed species to be integrated or fast tracked by replicating this process.

The Townsville NHN program is being delivered by ASSA and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) through Federal Government funding, with support and collaboration from key Queensland methane-reduction businesses and ASSA members, the Australian Seaweed Institute and FutureFeed.

The Australian seaweed industry aims to achieve $100 million in GVP (Gross Value Production) and 1,200 jobs over the coming years, with the foundations now in place for a sustainable $1.5 billion industry set to deliver 9,000 new local jobs by 2040.

To find out more about ASSA visit www.seaweedalliance.org.au

MEDIA CONTACT

Daniela Iacono - Horizon Communication Group - Daniela@horizoncg.com.au - 0439 083 869

About ASSA

ASSA is the peak body for the commercial seaweed industry in Australia made up of 10 corporate members across six states. ASSA’s mission is to scale up environmentally responsible commercial farming of seaweed to provide food, feed and bioproducts ASSA provides a coordinated voice for the seaweed industry and helps grow the industry sustainably. ASSA’s founding partners are CH4 Global, the University of Tasmania, FutureFeed and the Australian Seaweed institute.