Asparagopsis seaweed washed up on a beach, southwest Western Australia.
Photo: Adobe Stock
Western Australia's government has granted an aquaculture licence to Fremantle-based company SeaStock for what it says is the state’s first commercial-scale, land-based seaweed production facility.
The facility, currently under construction in Oakford, Perth, will produce Asparagopsis, a type of red algae used in cattle feed that grows naturally along the Western Australian coast - and has been shown by Australia's national science agency CSIRO to cut methane emissions from cattle by more than 80%.
SeaStock has developed an onshore cultivation method designed to deliver consistent quality biomass and higher yields compared with traditional offshore production. According to the WA Government, the company’s approach allows it to control variables that can make ocean-based production challenging, increase concentrations of key compounds in the algae, and reduce environmental impact.
The new licence will allow SeaStock to begin its first phase of commercial production, as it looks to meet growing global demand across its product range.
Beyond livestock methane reduction, Asparagopsis also has potential applications in food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, skin care, cosmetics, agriculture, and the meat and dairy industries. According to the announcement by WA authorities, SeaStock uses patented methods to extract high-purity compounds from the algae, including natural red pigments with antibacterial, anti-ageing, anti-allergy, antiviral and collagen-promoting properties.
The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has worked with SeaStock since 2024 to support aquaculture trials and help establish a regulatory pathway for land-based algae production.
“Algae aquaculture is an exciting, emerging sector and I applaud SeaStock for their leadership and investment in Western Australia,” said Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis.
“This aquaculture licence opens the door for SeaStock to increase commercial production to meet growing demand nationally and internationally for these high-purity, naturally produced extracts,” Jarvis argued.
SeaStock managing director Tom Puddy said the licence marked “an exciting phase” in the company’s development.
“By keeping our production and processing here in WA, this enables SeaStock to consider further expansion of our production capacity within regional WA using the same licensing structure,” Puddy said.
“Western Australia is geographically well positioned to capture the growth across the global markets, and clear regulatory frameworks and policy is anchoring WA as the centre of excellence in algae production and processing.”
Puddy added that SeaStock had worked closely with the Western Australian Government to establish a regulatory framework enabling the algae sector to move from research and development into commercial production.
“This is great example of industry and government working together to capture a global opportunity, creating jobs here in Western Australia,” he said.
The news of the new land-based licence comes shortly after it was announced that another Western Australian seaweed company, Fremantle Seaweed, has secured a waterfront site in the port city of Fremantle near Perth, with support from a AUS $4m state government grant. The company, which operates a 32-hectare pilot seaweed farm at Debral Nara in Cockburn Sound, intends to develop an Asparagopsis hatchery and processing facility at the site.
Other regions of Australia have also seen growing interest in Asparagopsis cultivation, with the news last year from that seaweed feed supplement company CH4 Global announced its land-based Asparagopsis farming facility had begun production in Louth, South Australia.
