The first commercial harvest of the methane-busting seaweed asparagopsis has occurred at the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton in Western Australia.
Australian researchers have found, when added to the feed of cattle and other ruminant stock, the native seaweed can virtually eliminate methane emissions.
Three hundred kilograms of naturally occurring seaweed has been harvested from an Abrolhos aquaculture farm for Seastock, which is currently the only West Australian company with a licence to do so.
Managing director Tom Puddy said demand for the seaweed had been strong.
"We have got a lot of hungry customers within Australia and globally that are really keen to implement their methane-reduction strategies," Mr Puddy said.
"It is quite well known that ruminant-fed animals expel methane, they burp it out, and it is a big contributor to global warming along with other industries as well," he said.
"This is one step in helping our environment going forward."
The seaweed has been harvested, spun to remove water, and packed into locally produced canola oil.
Seastock will sell the processed product for $50 a kilogram to three customers including a major dairy producer who will use it in commercial trials.
While still in its infancy, the Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance has forecast the asparagopsis industry will be worth as much as $100 million by 2025.
From pest to power ingredient
Over the past four years, joint research by the CSIRO, Meat and Livestock Australia, and James Cook University has found just 20 grams of asparagopsis per animal per day safely reduces methane output by 90 to 95 per cent.
"It is a bit like putting salt and pepper chilli sauce on your meal each night," Mr Puddy said.
"It is a very small dosage that the animals are taking in to dramatically remove the methane that they are putting out."
At the Abrolhos Islands, the red seaweed grows wild on the ropes at Murray Davidson's pearl farm.
In the past, he used a pressure hose to clean it off aquaculture equipment.
"It has been a pest. To keep our shell nice and clean they need beautiful water so we blow it off every month or seven weeks," Mr Davidson said.
"So when Seastock came and said can we do something with this seaweed, I thought 'Right, using it for something else is a good thing'."
As well as reducing methane emissions, a diet including asparagopsis has been found to improve productivity in ruminant animals.
"The ruminant animals can either have less feed or they can put on more condition in a shorter period of time by around 20 per cent," Mr Puddy said.
"So there is a huge opportunity for protein producers globally to not just reduce their methane emissions but also increase their productivity at the same time."
Seastock is developing processes to intentionally grow large volumes of the seaweed in the ocean and in onshore tanks.
The company has just signed an agreement with western rock lobster processors the Geraldton Fishermen's Cooperative to house a pilot plant to progress onshore production.
