Growing demand for macroalgae (seaweed) fuels a global industry comprising more than half oftotal global aquaculture production, exceeding $15B at first sale, with billions of dollars ofadditional…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Ocean Era Inc. $174,129 under the Small Business Innovation Research Program on September 15, 2025, to develop automated systems and production protocols for cultivating high-value tropical macroalgae species.

Ocean Era will identify optimum culture parameters for two representative tropical macroalgae through laboratory and field trials, determine best practices for seeding and harvest at commercial scale, and develop a low-cost automation system to maintain optimum nutrient and temperature conditions with minimal labor and input costs. The resulting Automated Culture Parameter Control System (ACUPACS) and production protocols will generate benchmark productivity and cost-of-goods assumptions applicable across the nation's tropical and subtropical states and territories. Ocean Era will license these systems and protocols to aspiring growers to support expansion of profitable macroalgae cultivation in the United States.

The award funds work performed in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with a period of performance from September 15, 2025, through May 14, 2027. As a Phase I SBIR project, this award supports demonstration of technical feasibility of the proposed innovation and advances the concept toward commercialization.

Growing demand for macroalgae (seaweed) fuels a global industry comprising more than half oftotal global aquaculture production, exceeding $15B at first sale, with billions of dollars ofadditional value created from downstream uses, ranging from food to phycocolloids andfertilizers. Processing advances are driving interest in seaweeds as low-carbon sources of food, feeds, fuels, and pharmaceuticals without freshwater or arable land requirements. Tropicalspecies hold particular interest due to their year-round productivity and bioactive compoundcontent. Presently the U.S. Contributes only 0.01% of global production. Development of adomestic macroalgae industry is inhibited by a lack of suitable permitted ocean space forcultivation, and the intensive labor requirements of existing production methods. Refined, automated methodology to consistently, efficiently produce high-quality macroalgae onshorewould allow a domestic industry to grow and flourish.ocean ERA, a pioneer of U.S. Seaweed aquaculture, proposes to maximize productivity andbioactive compound content of two representative high-value tropical macroalgae by: identifyingtheir optimum culture parameters through a series of laboratory and field trials; determing bestpractices for seeding and harvest at commercial scale; and developing a low-cost automationsystem to maintain optimum nutrient and temperature conditions with minimal labor and inputcosts. This will generate benchmark productivity and cost-of-goods assumptions to inform viablemacroalgae aquaculture business plans applicable across the nation's tropical and subtropicalstates and territories. The automated culture parameter control system (acupacs) andproduction protocols developed will be licensed to aspiring growers to support rapid expansionof profitable macroalgae cultivation in the U.S.