The Western Australian government has granted an aquaculture licence to Fremantle-based marine science solutions company, SeaStock, for the state’s first commercial-scale, land-based algae production facility.
SeaStock specialises in onshore algae cultivation and compound extraction, and is currently working to commercialise Ruby Sea – its high purity, naturally derived red pigment (R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE)) extracted from sustainably cultivated Asparagopsis seaweed.
Now under construction in Oakford, the new production facility will allow SeaStock to control environmental variables with precision, scale up high-yield Asparagopsis biomass, and meet surging global market demand across its product range.
The news follows SeaStock securing a $740,000 matched co-investment with Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) in October to develop functional ingredients from seaweed. It was also an early recipient of the federal government’s Industry Growth Program, receiving $136,000 to lower supply chain environmental impact.
SeaStock managing director, Tom Puddy, said the company receiving the licence was a great example of industry and government working together to capture a global opportunity.
“This is an exciting phase in SeaStock's journey. By keeping our production and processing here in Western Australia, this enables SeaStock to consider further expansion of our production capacity within regional Western Australia using the same licensing structure,” said Puddy.
“Western Australia is geographically well positioned to capture the growth across the global markets, and clear regulatory frameworks and policy is anchoring Western Australia as the centre of excellence in algae production and processing.
“Since our establishment SeaStock has worked closely with the Western Australian government to establish the industry regulatory framework to enable the algae industry to transition from research and development into commercial production,” he said.
Asparagopsis has been a hot topic in the industry over the past few years, as it can be used to significantly lower cattle methane emissions when added to livestock feed, and has functional properties used in pharmaceuticals.
The algae grows naturally along the Western Australian coast, but SeaStock has developed an innovative onshore cultivation method that provides consistent quality biomass and high yield, compared with traditional offshore cultivation methods. The Western Australian government has been working with SeaStock since 2024 to provide an enabling regulatory environment for aquaculture trials.
The company’s method enables it to control the variables that make consistent ocean-based production challenging, increase concentration levels of key compounds within algae, and minimise environmental impact.
Western Australian Minister for Agriculture and Food, Jackie Jarvis, said the state government is proud to be supporting SeaStock and the sustainable development of aquaculture in Western Australia to help create new jobs and diversify the economy.
“Algae aquaculture is an exciting, emerging sector and I applaud SeaStock for their leadership and investment in Western Australia,” said 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.”
The company stated this stage of growth enables it to deliver high-purity natural extracts that slash agricultural methane emissions by over 90 per cent, and support medical-grade pharmaceutical advancements, at a scale that was not previously commercially achievable in the state.
