Blog

For immediate release:

In late September 2020, Ocean Rainforest submitted an application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a seaweed cultivation demonstration project in the Santa Barbara channel. At the site, Ocean Rainforest has proposed to develop and upscale the necessary technology and machinery to de-risk the full seaweed supply chain from propagation to planting, cultivation and harvesting. Through a collection of experiments designed to maximize biomass yield, the Ocean Rainforest team intends to demonstrate the capabilities of the design, as well as to optimize the aspects and factors that significantly affect the economics and scaling up of operations.

On Friday, October 15, 2021, Ocean Rainforest, Inc. won unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission for a voluntary consistency certification: a key component to their pending individual permit application.

By their unanimous approval, the Coastal Commission has determined that Ocean Rainforest’s proposed demonstration project – with certain special conditions – is consistent with the 1972 Coastal Zone Management Act passed. The Commission’s vote is the first since 2014 that authorizes an offshore aquaculture project in California.

The Ocean Rainforest team is grateful for the remarkable outpouring of support from stakeholders across the scientific, commercial and regulatory communities. In parallel to almost 50 letters, public comments during the hearing helped indicate to the Commission that there is widespread enthusiasm and interest in seaweed cultivation within our community — allowing the agenda item to be moved to the consent calendar and ultimately approved.

Although the Ocean Rainforest team still has a ways to go in securing full authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Commission’s positive assent represents a key milestone for our continued research and development efforts. The team looks forward to continuing our work in the Santa Barbara Channel in an environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically feasible manner.