Shaping the future of seaweed farming in Cornwall. Engaging communities in seaweed farming

<p dir="ltr"><b>Introduction</b></p><p dir="ltr">Communication about seaweed aquaculture in recent decades has been dominated by its many socio-economic and ecological advantages (Duarte, Bruhn and Krause-Jensen, 2022). A ‘win–win’ narrative about seaweed farming suggests the sector could both be profitable and help meet environmental sustainability targets (Chaigneau et al., 2025). The expectations created by this discourse have helped convince conservation organisations, development agencies, businesses and investors of the relevance and importance of seaweed farming in regions where it has not historically been practiced. This excitement has been felt in the UK, including in the South West, where there has been a rise in marine licence applications for seaweed farms in the last few years. Several of these, however, have been actively resisted by local communities. This has halted implementation, led to applications being withdrawn, and in some cases, licences being refused and reconsidered (Morris, 2024; Morris and Butler, 2025). This report presents the findings of a qualitative research project conducted over seven months in 2025, which aimed to understand why seaweed farms have faced opposition in Cornwall. The research consisted predominantly of interviews with local residents and stakeholder groups in Cornwall, as well as staff from charities, authorities and regulatory bodies in Cornwall and England. Much of the opposition to farms has centred on blocking applications for marine licences, which businesses hoping to cultivate seaweed must obtain before they can set up their farms. We therefore also sought to understand what the process for establishing a seaweed farm currently looks like on paper – and whether it is being followed in practice. In particular, we tried to understand how community and stakeholder engagement fit into this process. We also explored how seaweed farms could be designed, implemented and managed in ways that communities in Cornwall might support in future.</p>