Seafields, a Stockport company developing offshore has raised more than £50,000 in crowdfunding to support its ‘aquafarms’ technology projects.
Their plan to farm seaweed for carbon absorption has raised £50,128 at the time of writing from more than 150 investors. Thanks to a wider funding effort, this current round of investment is currently valued at £119,168, the approximate value of a cottage in rural areas orbiting Sunderland.
Most seaweed farms in the Caribbean use Sargassum, a seasonal variety of seaweed which naturally captures carbon as it grows. Sargassum also can be used as a valuable industrial feedstock, so much so that the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently declared it a national fishing resource.
However Sargassum also of often washes ashore as coastal waste, and when it decomposes it can produce toxic chemicals.
In the past few years doctors on the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean have reported more than 11,000 cases of breathing problems, nausea, skin rashes, and medically significant headaches caused by from exposure to hydrogen sulfide from decomposing Sargassum.
To solve this issue, Seafields has developed the AlgaePonix in-water storage paddock to keep Sargassum off of beaches and ensure a reliable year-round supply.
The company has already secured its first offtake deal for 1,500 tonnes of seaweed pulp a year and is currently engaging with Caribbean resorts on further opportunities for its aquafarms.
Seafields is targeting the £3.29bn bio-stimulant market, using Sargassum to boost crop yields sustainably. They will also be aiming to penetrate the Sargassum beach cleanup market in the Caribbean, valued at over £154m annually, and the £7.59bn seaweed product industry.
Seafields was selected by Coldplay to receive a 10 per cent share of the band’s overall earnings last year through a ‘good causes’ fund split between 15 different initiatives.
In this, Seafields ranked alongside several other major projects. These include:
The Ocean Cleanup, which aims to remove 99% of floating ocean plastic polution from the world’s oceans by 2040.
The Sustainable food trust, which is working to speed up the transition to more long term and sustainable agriculture practices.
Hundo, an AI powered digital learning resource that has worked with major employers such as the NHS and Essex County Council.
The Conservation Collective, which delivers financial, strategic, operational, and communications support to conservation charities and groups around the world.
Seafields’ current round of crowdfunding is due to close on 5 September 2025.
