EnAlgae Macroalgal Pilot Network - Algecenter Danmark

Economic assessment of Palmaria cultivation:
at sea & in tanks
Best yields of Palmaria after cultivation at sea obtained by settling spores on
nets (3 x 1.3 m, with 10-cm mesh) and harvesting the nets after 5-6 months in
the sea. Yield per net is 25-30 kg of wet Palmaria.
Assuming that standard refrigerated container used as a hatchery, only 48 nets
could be seeded and maintained prior to deployment, so total annual production
of wet Palmaria would be 1.2-1.4 tonnes. At current prices, value of crop would
be €3,000-5,000.
Capital costs to install and equip container as a hatchery: €40,000
Annual costs for consumables, electricity and labour: €90,000
Unless yields can be greatly improved, cultivating Palmaria at sea will not
provide basis for a viable business.
Tank cultivation of Palmaria:
Depreciation on equipment plus electricity for farm with 80x1-m 2 tanks: c.
€8,000 per year.
At 50 kg/tank, total yield of wet Palmaria would be 4 tonnes, worth €10,000
(€14,000 if sold dry), so small margin available to pay for limited labour required.