PROTEUS
kelP side stReam valOrisaTion to dEvelop new biobased valUe chainS
Overview
The PROTEUS project is formed of 11 different partners in 6 different countries. The wider PROTEUS project aims to develop Europe’s first fully integrated industrial biorefinery for brown macroalgae in Norway. By pioneering eco-friendly methods, including formaldehyde-free harvesting and extraction techniques, the project aims to create greener alternatives for everyday products in food, animal feed, personal care, and industrial products. This cutting-edge biorefinery will also support sustainable development and advance the circular bioeconomy.
Within the Proteus project, the NorsKelp team at IMR investigate the ecological impacts of kelp harvesting across Norway, specifically in terms of the effects on biodiversity, kelp life histories, and recovery rates under varying abiotic conditions. Our multidisciplinary approach will integrate underwater video surveys, acoustic mapping, eDNA analyses, and traditional taxonomic sampling to compare harvested and control sites and monitor recovery between harvesting periods. This work will advance understanding of kelp forest resilience and inform evidence-based strategies for the sustainable management of seaweed resources.
Norwegian kelp harvesting
Since the 1970s, ~120,000-180,000 tonnes of Laminaria hyperborea and 20,000 tonnes of Ascophyllum nodosum have been mechanically harvested across Norway.
Currently, ~15% of the collected L. hyperborea biomass is used for alginate extraction and it is preserved with formaldehyde.
The harvesting season runs from 1st September to the 31st August each year, and each county in Norway follows different regional regulations. There are rules regarding which areas can be harvested, and typically there is a 5-year harvesting cycle in most counties, although, a 10-year harvesting cycle is being trialled in Nordland, which has recently opened up for kelp harvesting following recovery from sea urchin overgrazing.
There are no limits on the biomass that can be taken in the areas open for harvesting each year, and the position and landings are reported to the Directorate of Fisheries.
The Institute of Marine Research monitors the state of the kelp communities in the harvested regions and publishes annual reports with advice for kelp management. Dr Henning Steen has been leading annual video and acoustic surveys to assess the suitability of harvesting in fields for the upcoming season compared to unharvested reference sites, and if the height of the canopy and biomass density of kelps has not recovered sufficiently, harvesting is not recommended.
The PROTEUS project at IMR aims to:
1. Highlight the global importance of kelp forests to biodiversity
2. Assess the ecological impacts of harvesting on kelp forest structure and function in the context of environmental gradients and climate change
3. Advance understanding of kelp forest resilience and inform evidence-based strategies for the sustainable management of seaweed resources in Norway and beyond
Our multidisciplinary approach will compare harvested and control sites and monitor recovery between harvesting intervals across Norway using:
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Underwater videos
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Multivariate environmental modelling
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Taxonomic approaches
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Acoutstic mapping
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eDNA and metabarcoding approaches
We will also use historic data to assess the impacts of kelp harvesting on kelp forest structure and recovery across latitudes. This will help to determine variations in kelp life history traits across environmental gradients and the implications of this for kelp forest management.
