Technology for monitoring biomass at commercial seaweed farming

On the west coast of Sweden, seaweed is increasingly being cultivated as food, feed, and sustainable materials. However, growers lack reliable ways to determine how much seaweed is growing and when it should be harvested. This project is developing and evaluating four new techniques – using sensors, drones and AI – to make biomass measurement simpler, faster, and more reliable.

Swedish seaweed farming is expanding rapidly and holds great potential as a sustainable raw material for food, feed, and biomaterials. Today, growers do not have easy and trustworthy methods for assessing how much seaweed is growing and when it should be harvested. This project therefore develops and evaluates four new methods for automatically measuring biomass: underwater sensors, orthophotos, green LiDAR, and underwater acoustics, combined with AI.

The project's aim is to provide growers with better tools and to identify which methods are suitable for commercial use, thereby enabling more efficient, scalable, and competitive Swedish seaweed cultivation.

The tests are being conducted at Nordic SeaFarm’s cultivation site on the west coast and are carried out in close collaboration between IVL, which leads the work on method development and analysis, and partner companies with expertise in underwater sensors and drone technology.

The project contributes to environmental benefits by reducing the need for manual transport and strengthening the production of seaweed – a resource that captures carbon dioxide and improves the marine environment. It is aligned with the global goals on climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14), sustainable production (SDG 12), and innovation (SDG 9).