COOL BLUE FUTURE

So what is regenerative ocean farming? The Danish branch of Cool Blue Future (Havhøst - Ocean Harvest) teaches thousands of school children every year about the merits of regenerative ocean farming. This small animated film (in Danish) breaks the subject down in nice and edible chunks to be enjoyed by human beings of all ages (you can choose to have the film subtitled in your own language). #WeAreTheReGeneration #CoolBlue

National facilitator organisations in the participating countries are at the heart of Cool Blue Future and our effort to regenerate oceans through food production💙. In Lithuania, Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (KSTP) is spearheading the regenerative movement at sea. KSTP provides specialised services in the areas of green and blue technologies, and Erika Zavackiene is the goto-person for all things related to regenerative ocean farming 🌊. Mes sirgsime už Lietuvą 👏 ! #coolblue

Day 1 in Baku is over. Adapting to climate change is by far the most important task to solve for anyone involved with natural processes. This year, ocean temperatures in the Mediterranean reached more than 30° for days on end, which is way more than mussels can tolerate. In 2024, mussel harvest rates in e.g. Greece were at around 10% of what would be expected under normal climate conditions. The same happened in 2021 - and it will most likely recur even more often in the future. Meanwhile in Northern European countries such as Denmark, eutrophication levels were accelerated by the high ocean temperature and soared to at an all time high in the late summer of 2024. Things are developing fast in all parts of Europe. We need to free ourselves of habitual thinking and get around to answering the question of what we are going to grow and eat in a warming world. And who is going to produce it. Regulators, markets and civil society need to work together and create real momentum behind the transition to a more agile and ecosystem-based approach to food production. Regenerative ocean farming offers hope and practical tools - let's get to work.

Meet anita and Jonas - local heroes in the brackish waters of Finland, where many have failed in their attempt to cultivate anything worth serving and eating. Thanks to their efforts, things are about to change. We bow our heads in admiration and respect for the brave champions of regenerative ocean farming working along European coastlines to combine nature restoration with the productive practise of cultivating seaweed, mussels, oysters and - in this Finnish case - edible water plants. Want to learn more? Then join our celebration of the practitioners of regenerative ocean farming by enjoying and sharing their stories. Link to video portrait of Jonas and Anita in comments 🌊 . Aktion Österbotten #coolblue

A few weeks ago, Cool Blue Future participated in a wonderful event in Tvärminne Zoological Station in Finland 🇫🇮 where the Nordic Network for Regenerative Ocean Farming was gathered to discuss perspectives for cultivating regenerative species in brackish or even fresh waters. The key candidate for ocean farming is the Anadonta mussel, but local heroes are working on floating wetlands with edible plants as well. Super interesting stuff! The meeting concluded with a visit to the Slow Food event in Fiskars Village, where the public was served dishes made with regenerative crops to the merry sound of the Cool Blue Future hymn 🎶 Happy to meet friends new and old. A big thank you to Jonas Harald, Mathias Högbacka and Anita Storm from Aktion Österbotten for hosting the event!

Ever tried going vegan... with benefits? 😉 Meet the Low-Trophic Diet, where plant-based living gets a sea-sonal twist! Mussels, clams, oysters, and seaweed—sustainably grown in regenerative aquaculture. 🦪💧 These ocean wonders help restore marine ecosystems while providing a sustainable, protein-rich food source. Low on the food chain but packed with nutrition, they’re a small change with a big impact!

🇸🇪 Last week, Goncalo from Souto Ocean showed us his 5-line array system before it was deployed into Scanian waters to become the new home for cultivated gutweed. 🌱 Seaweed species vary greatly, thriving in diverse environments. Curious whether seaweed can be grown in your area? We’re happy to help you find out—just drop us a message!

Last week Havhøst - Ocean Harvest, Centrum för hav och samhälle, Göteborgs universitet, Aktion Österbotten, SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth EEIG s.Pro – sustainable projects GmbH visited the first community-owned regenerative sea farm in Europe. The site visit was very informative to help the partners assess the #feasibility of regenerative ocean farming as a viable #businessmodel including opportunities for #fishers. The #diversity of their business, from local cockle pickers, to native #oyster restoration to #biostimulant production for local farmers means that they can employ 14 local people (and counting). As a community benefit society, the company structure means the community members are the owners, so if they do well, everyone benefits. Still, there is a lot of work to scale out the farm to new sites, and significant hurdles to overcome, mainly large organisations which are blocking their expansion due to the "visual impact". The COOL BLUE FUTURE and Câr-Y-Môr teams both agreed that #communityengagement and #education are the best ways to improve #socialacceptance, which is one of the main barriers to progress, both in the UK and the EU. #horizoneurope #missionocean #begreengoblue #euinmyregion #seaweed #regenerativebusiness #communityenterprise

Lige ovre i det vestligste Wales ligger Câr-y-Môr, der dyrker et væld af forskellige tangarter, fladøsters, blåmuslinger and God knows what. I et hav, der er så vidunderligt salt, at de høster flere gange om året og bare fyrer den af! Sammen med vores projektvenner fra Aktion Österbotten (FI) og Centrum för hav och samhälle, Göteborgs universitet (SE) var vi så heldige at få mulighed for at besøge dem i sidste uge. Kæmpe oplevelse! Câr-y-Môr er ejet af mere end 400 ganske almindelige mennesker, der med en lille investering bakker op om virksomhedens bestræbelser på at dyrke havet - på havets præmisser. Deres afgrøder bliver brugt som fødevarer, ingredienser og som gødning. Faktisk arbejder de lige nu på at etablere et nyt fermenteringsanlæg, hvor de kan producere tanggødning til lokale landmænd i lidt større skala. Meget inspirerende! Vi fortalte selvfølgelig Câr-y-Môr om den succes, vi i Danmark har haft med at bane vejen for foreningsbaserede haver. Det syntes de var ret skønt. Og de var behørigt imponerede over den undervisningsplatform, vi har bygget op, hvor tusinder af elever hvert år lærer om et nyt blåt fødevaresystem. Ligesom os arbejder Câr-y-Môr på at aktivere lokale fiskere i regenerativ havdyrkning - så der er masser at samle op på i de kommende uger og måneder. Vi glæder os maksimalt! Besøget kunne lade sig gøre takket være støtte fra The Nordic Council of Ministers and The Nordic Council og projektet #CoolBlue (støttet af den Europæiske Union). Shout out også til vores venner hos SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth EEIG - især dig, Frederick Bruce 😘. https://www.carymor.wales/

Welcome (tere tulemast 🇪🇪) Estonia! For anyone interested in learning more about regenerative ocean farming in the eastern Baltic Sea region, feel free to reach out to Liisi Lees, your country facilitator for Estonia. Liisi works for the Estonian Marine Institute, which has been a leader in marine aquaculture and habitat restoration since 1992. 🎉 We’re very happy to have Estonia on board as part of our mission to promote sustainable aquaculture and ocean health in the Baltic region! Meil on hea meel, et olete meeskonnas!