This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 5 2025.
Seagriculture EU 2025, one of the leading conferences for the seaweed industry, successfully brought together more than 200 participants from 26 countries in Rotterdam from 17–19 June. This year’s theme, “Seaweed 2.0: Today’s Scaling for Tomorrow’s Needs,” underscored the industry’s need to scale responsibly and collaboratively in response to growing global demand for sustainable seaweed. The event served as a platform to unite stakeholders across the seaweed value chain, including producers, policymakers, researchers, investors, and buyers, to foster synergies and build a resilient, scalable infrastructure for the future of the industry.
The event opened on 17 June with either a site visit to Hortimare where participants learned how the company approaches breeding and supports farming operations or to the Royal Netherlands Institute For Sea Research which hosted a scientific meeting in collaboration with the NWO-KIC projects CircAqua, SeaSeeds, and From Sea to Society. The main conference on 18–19 June featured five plenary sessions, two panel discussions, and the Seaweed Elevator Pitches, a fast-paced format that allowed for broad project exposure and idea sharing. Nearly 50 speakers shared insights on applications, farming practices, and regulatory developments in the seaweed sector. The programme also featured sessions on professionalising the seaweed industry; collaboration as a tool for a successful seaweed industry; and a roadmap for the European seaweed industry, among others.
More than 15 exhibitors presented their latest technologies, equipment and services at the Seagriculture trade show. Additionally, some 30 participants presented posters showcasing their latest research and projects. “We’re proud to support the community as it grows and connects”, said Kuno Jacobs, managing director of DLG Benelux, the event organiser. He added that the next editions of the event would be Seagriculture World 2026,19-21 May 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand followed by Seagriculture EU 2026, 16-18 June 2026 in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information visit seagriculture.eu or contact info@dlg-benelux.com.
