SEADEEP Advances Digital and Energy-Efficient Solutions for Europe’s Aquatic Food Sector

Kiel / Strande — A new European project, SEADEEP (Sustainable Energy Advancement through Digitalisation for Energy-Efficient Production in Aquaculture and Fisheries), aims to accelerate the transition toward sustainable, low-carbon aquatic food production systems by deploying advanced digital solutions and energy-efficient technologies.

Aquaculture and fisheries are essential to global food security, yet they face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, improve energy efficiency, and remain economically viable. High energy consumption, operational inefficiencies, and limited adoption of digital technologies continue to slow the sector’s transition toward more sustainable practices.

The newly launched SEADEEP project directly addresses these challenges by supporting the sector’s shift toward integrated digitalization and energy optimization. The goal is to help producers reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and competitiveness.

16 Innovative Solutions Across Nine Demonstration Sites

SEADEEP will test and deliver 16 innovative solutions (TRL 6–8) across nine demonstration sites in the North Sea and Baltic Sea basins. The project is designed to ensure that these innovations are scalable, adaptable, and directly relevant to current industry needs.

Project Focus Areas

Macroalgae Farming

• One large-scale energy-efficient solution
• Two advanced digital solutions designed to optimize production and resource use

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS)

• One large-scale energy-efficient installation
• Eight digital solutions to enhance monitoring, control, and efficiency

Small-Scale Fishing Fleets

• Four digital solutions aimed at improving operational efficiency, energy use, and decision-making at sea

German Partners Focus on Recirculating Aquaculture

Three German partners—Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, Oceanloop Kiel GmbH, and Erwin Sander Elektroapparatebau GmbH—are working together to advance digital and energy-efficient innovation in recirculating aquaculture systems.

Fraunhofer IFAM leads the RAS work package, coordinating the development and validation of solutions for land-based aquaculture.

Oceanloop provides the demonstration site in Kiel, where new concepts are being integrated and tested in a next-generation RAS setup for Queensland giant grouper.

Erwin Sander contributes RAS engineering and automation expertise for key process upgrades in water treatment and system operation.

Together, the three partners combine research, system integration, and industrial implementation to develop scalable solutions for more efficient land-based aquaculture in Europe.

30 Partners Across 11 Countries

The project brings together 30 partners from 11 countries.

Research and innovation partners—including IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, the project coordinator; Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA); Fraunhofer; Uniwersytet Morski w Gdyni; AZTI; and Photonics Bretagne—are driving scientific research, system design, and validation activities across the project.

Networks and industry platforms—including Submariner Network for Blue Growth, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark, Eurofish International Organisation, and the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATiP)—support stakeholder engagement, policy alignment, and the dissemination and uptake of project results across Europe.

Industry, technology providers, and demonstration partners—including Oceanloop, SmögenLax, Danish Salmon, Ocean Forest (Lerøy), Nordic SeaFarm, Norfolk Seaweed, Vetik, Szkuner Sp. z o.o. (Port of Władysławowo), FSK-PO, Aquaticode, OxyGuard International A/S, Kesacon AB, Infrasonik, VisionAir, YellowScan, Erwin Sander Elektroapparatebau, Kytos, Dynamita, Solution Seeker AS, and Flonergia—are responsible for developing, deploying, and validating solutions in real-world aquaculture and fisheries environments.

Oceanloop Management GmbH is based in Munich, Germany.