World-First Seaweed Harvest Unfolds at Offshore Wind Farm Backed by Amazon’s Climate Fund

Image Credit: North Sea Farmers

For the first time, seaweed has been successfully harvested at North Sea Farm 1, marking a milestone in ocean farming. Located off the coast of Scheveningen in the Netherlands, this is the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm to operate within an active offshore wind farm. North Sea Farmers spearheaded the project with €2 million in support from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund.

The early harvest is more than symbolic. It provides valuable data to scientists and environmentalists exploring how seaweed cultivation can help capture atmospheric carbon, boost biodiversity, and alleviate pressure on traditional farmland. It also offers a glimpse into how seaweed farming might scale globally as part of climate resilience strategies.

"The inaugural harvest of North Sea Farm 1 is a significant moment," said Eva Faict, Amazon Netherlands and Belgium country manager. "Together with North Sea Farmers, we have proven that cultivated seaweed farming among offshore wind turbines is a viable commercial concept."

What makes this farm unique isn’t just its purpose but its location. Nestled between the massive turbines of the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, North Sea Farm 1 is a clever use of space in waters usually reserved for energy infrastructure. By situating the farm within the wind park, the team avoided maritime traffic while making efficient use of the seabed.

"Through ongoing scientific research, we aim to demonstrate whether farms like this can have a positive long-term impact on both biodiversity and climate change mitigation," said Eef Brouwers, Managing Director of North Sea Farmers. "At the same time, we're proving that seaweed production within an existing offshore infrastructure is possible at a commercial scale."

The farm spans about five hectares. Harvesting the seaweed involves a vessel that carefully weaves its way between turbines, pulling in seaweed from large nets secured to the ocean floor. It’s a precise, delicate process, part farming, part marine choreography.

To track the farm’s progress and learn what is possible at scale, researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Deltares, and Silvestrum Climate Associates are monitoring the activity. They’re using satellite imagery and on-site assessments to understand how far projects like this can go in terms of size, sustainability, and climate impact.

In a world seeking scalable, nature-based solutions to climate change, seaweed farms like this one may offer a blueprint for what comes next.

Professor Ana M Queirós, Plymouth Marine Laboratory's Climate Change Lead, said: "We're very excited to understand the effects of the seaweed farm on the immediate and surrounding marine environment. Our analysis will follow the carbon from the seawater into the seaweed and the environment, and any effects on biodiversity.

"It's vital projects like this are underpinned with rigorous scientific evidence, particularly given the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crisis and the need to find scalable mitigation measures that produce genuinely beneficial and sustainable outcomes."