Over the past decade, interest in using the marine coastal areas as a source of alternative, sustainable food production has grown significantly. A team of experts from 28 countries, including scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) has launched the SeaWheat project as a part of the EU program “COST” to modernise traditional aquatic diet from the coastal seas to make them more sustainable and healthier.
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Association supports an EU-funded program that enables researchers to set up a research network across different scientific disciplines. The “SeaWheat” project is about using the unique properties of the green seaweed “Ulva”, also known as “sea lettuce”, to test the algae as a model organism for a new type of European mariculture, i.e., aquaculture in the sea.
Species of Ulva have been extensively analysed for their value as food, feed, food ingredients (e.g., protein, carbohydrates, pigments, antioxidants), chemical constituents and medicinal properties. In mariculture, Ulva can be cultured in either land- or sea-based facilities. Ulva can produce more biomass per square meter than land plants (25-40 tonnes dry weight per hectare per year, compared to 2.1, 4.1 and 5.1 tonnes for soybean, wheat and maize, respectively). In addition, Ulva provides a fundamental ecosystem service as an ecological biofilter, supporting sustainability of the ever-growing industry of land- and sea-based fish farming, and preventing eutrophication in coastal waters
The COST project “SeaWheat“ combines interdisciplinary approaches to the sustainable use of marine resources, encompassing all facets of Ulva biology, ecology, aquaculture, engineering, as well as economic and social sciences. This Action will lead to the development of advanced science and technology, create business and employment opportunities in the maritime and coastal economies, and have a significant impact on societal welfare.
This COST Action fulfills the current ‘Societal Challenges Priorities’ of the European Horizon 2020 strategy for food security, and its implementation will contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 14 (UNSDG) for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
SeaWheat website: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA20106/#tabs+Name:Description