The mayor of North Yorkshire has backed an innovative seaweed cultivation business as the county aims to become England’s first carbon-negative region.
SeaGrown, a trailblazing Scarbough company that is creating jobs and protecting the environment using an innovative approach to growing seaweed and shellfish in the North Sea, has been backed by the county’s elected Mayor, David Skaith.
The mayor recently headed out with the SeaGrown team on their workboat, Bright Blue, to see how their innovative Kelpedo™ units are sustainably growing kelp four miles off the Scarborough coast.
The project, backed with combined authority funding, has enabled SeaGrown to take on new staff, including trainee marine crew and scientists, to join their team.
Mr Skaith said:
“We’ve got the landscape, coastline, expertise and the ambition to go further than any other region in England and become the first carbon-negative region by 2040.
“With my Carbon Negative Challenge Fund, we’re taking big steps towards our goal by backing the people behind our most pioneering projects.
“Just like our partners at SeaGrown, who are using our support to not only create jobs and growth in the county but also protect the rich biodiversity of our coast.”
With funding from York and North Yorkshire Mayor’s Carbon Negative Challenge Fund, the business has launched project SeaSwell to process Yorkshire seaweed into biostimulants for crop growth and food ingredients. This opens the potential to support food and agricultural industries across North Yorkshire whilst reducing carbon, cleaning the ocean, and supporting biodiversity.
The business was founded in 2018 by Captain Wave Crookes, a former fisherman who has held senior roles in the Royal Navy and RNLI, and marine scientist Professor Laura Robinson, who met when working on the British Antarctic Survey.
“Joining forces with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority on Project SeaSwell lets us take what we do every day in the North Sea and put it to good use on land,” said Captain Crookes, SeaGrown founder and Director.
He added:
“We’ve been growing seaweed on our Kelpedo™ units for years. Now we’re working with local partners to see what that seaweed can do for the region, with trials on biostimulants and food products aimed at cutting carbon emissions.
“The Combined Authority set out to make York and North Yorkshire England’s first carbon-negative region by 2040. At SeaGrown, we love a challenge, and we’re pleased to be adding our weight to this vital task.”
The Carbon Negative Challenge Fund is a multi-million-pound programme which provides support to projects pioneering ways to decarbonise the region while stimulating growth and supporting businesses and communities.
This includes community energy sources, retrofitting buildings and sustainable agriculture schemes.
The fund supports York and North Yorkshire’s ambition to become England’s first carbon-negative region by 2040. York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to publish its Strategy for a Sustainable Future this autumn. The document will detail how the county will reach its 2040 goal.
The business recently applied to convert a farm shop and café at Flatts Farm, less than 1km inland from the east coast, and approximately 250 m south-east of Burniston, into a hub for seaweed and shellfish cultivation, research and development, and product processing.
SeaGrown said that its previous premises proved to be “too small to accommodate 16 members of staff, a larger hatchery facility and further growth in product lines, meaning only packaging and a limited amount of production could take place” at the site.
The landowner has agreed to lease Flatts Farm to SeaGrown, which said the new location would allow guests, including schools, to visit and learn about the environmental benefits of growing seaweed and shellfish.
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