{"id":40798,"date":"2026-03-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=40798"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T21:35:08","slug":"surfers-fishers-and-scientists-launch-portugals-first-regenerative-seaweed-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/surfers-fishers-and-scientists-launch-portugals-first-regenerative-seaweed-farm.htm","title":{"rendered":"Surfers, Fishers, and Scientists Launch Portugal\u2019s First Regenerative Seaweed Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2011, Jo\u00e3o Macedo became the first Portuguese and European surfer to qualify for the World Surf League\u2019s Big Wave Championship Tour. Over the next decade, he racked up podium finishes, and in 2022, he caught the largest wave of his life off the coast of Nazar\u00e9, Portugal\u2019s world-famous surf hub.<\/p>\n

Just two years later, he announced his retirement from professional surfing to focus on his other lifelong passion of conservation. He never fell out of love with the sport, but says the switch to conservation work was actually born from a lifetime of connecting with the ocean from the top of a board.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the big gifts of surfing is this experience of nature,\u201d Macedo says. \u201cIt just naturally breeds people that then become environmentalists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macedo has taken this gift and transformed it into something tangible: creating Portugal\u2019s first regenerative seaweed farm. Located right off the coast of his cherished Nazar\u00e9, the seaweed farm benefits a unique mix of partners, from surfers to scientists, and represents a pivotal new frontier of marine conservation in the small European nation.<\/p>\n

\"Joao

Joao Macedo rides a huge wave in Nazar\u00e9\u2014for Hope Zones, the waves are at the core of the inspiration to protect the ocean. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Why Nazar\u00e9, and Why Seaweed?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even as he was catching big waves around the world, Macedo began making connections in the environmental world. He joined Save the Waves<\/a>, an international non-profit dedicated to protecting surfing areas, and was instrumental in creating their World Surfing Reserves<\/a>, which protect \u201ckey environmental, cultural and economic attributes in coastal communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macedo saw the success of these reserves in places like Santa Cruz, California, and the more southern Portuguese town of Ericeira. However, Nazar\u00e9 was not included on this list, and Macedo sought another way to protect his favorite surf ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy connection as a pro surfer was something that gave me a lot of connections [to Nazar\u00e9], and it just propelled me to where I am now,\u201d Macedo says.<\/p>\n

While exploring ways he could protect Portuguese waters, Macedo says Luis Lages\u2014a colleague at his alma mater, the Nova School of Business and Economics<\/a>, and Moritz Seidel, a tech entrepreneur passionate about nature, began exploring the idea of a regenerative seaweed farm in Nazar\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The World Surf League and Patagonia<\/a>, his long-time surfing sponsor, reinforced this direction with a grant to experiment and push forward the idea. In 2022, with Moritz and other friends and family, he co-founded the Hope Zones Foundation<\/a> to begin establishing Portugal’s first-ever regenerative seaweed farm, and on November 16th, 2025, the farm was officially launched.<\/p>\n

\"During

During the WSL One Ocean celebration. From left to right: Jan Verbeek, Lead Scientist at SeaForester; Joao Macedo, Co-Founder Hope Zones; Moritz Seidel, Co-Founder Hope Zones; Miguel Blanco, Hope Zones Ambassador; and Yago Dora, World Champion supporter. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Seaweed can be efficient at carbon sequestration and act as a sink, according to a report from the Environmental Defense Fund.<\/a> It\u2019s known as a source of blue carbon<\/a>, or carbon sequestered by the ocean. Macedo hopes this designation can visibly elevate the farm\u2019s conservation impact, both to the public and the scientific community.<\/p>\n

Moreover, regenerative seaweed farming doesn\u2019t use intensive fertilizers found in some traditional mariculture practices. Macedo also emphasizes how it taps into seaweed\u2019s inherent ability to restore seafloors by creating more habitat for wildlife and reviving nutrient cycles.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegenerative seaweed farming is very interesting, because if some areas are a bit depleted, this is a fast way of getting that habitat in place,\u201d Macedo says.<\/p>\n

His choice to set up a farm in Nazar\u00e9 extends beyond his connection as a surfer. The same towering waves that surfers dream of catching also create an environment below the water that is uniquely suited for seaweed.<\/p>\n

Studies <\/a>have shown that seaweed can grow well in turbulent water, and although research is still needed to quantify ideal conditions, Macedo believes that if his project is successful, it can serve as a case study for future farms.<\/p>\n

\u201cNazar\u00e9 is so world-famous for its giant waves,\u201d Macedo says, \u201cSo if you could have a seaweed farm in that vicinity, it really is proof that [it can happen] anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hope

Hope Zones\u2019 Lead Scientist and Seaweed Specialist Jo\u00e3o Franco. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Working with Nazar\u00e9\u2019s Local Fishing Community<\/span><\/h3>\n

However, Nazar\u00e9 is not a town solely built around surfers and big waves; it\u2019s also home to a historic artisanal fishing industry. Macedo was well aware of this, as surfing leagues often utilize fishing infrastructure, such as boats and docks, to conduct their tournaments.<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s aware that fishers can sometimes be \u201cscapegoats\u201d for problems such as declining fisheries or degraded marine ecosystems. They\u2019re also often banned from protected areas, which can lead to conflict when conservation projects are implemented in their waters. So, rather than working against the local community, he wanted to engage them in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just seeing that a lot of what was happening, not only in Portugal, but globally, was that the most successful marine protected areas<\/a> (MPAs) always had the local fishing community on board,\u201d Macedo says.<\/p>\n

Hope Zones decided to hire fishers to help them set up their nets and seaweed pens, utilizing their labor and their boats. But Macedo didn\u2019t just want them to participate in the project; he also led them to understand it.<\/p>\n

\"Preparing

Preparing a boat launch for the seaweed farm. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Macedo says that Nazar\u00e9an fisheries are declining, and an economic shift from fishing towards tourism<\/a> has further withered the once thriving profession. He believes that innovation has left fishing behind, but hopes that new projects like his seaweed farm can not only restore the marine environment around Nazar\u00e9, but also start increasing catch rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re understanding that it\u2019s also an economic use of the ocean,\u201d Macedo says.<\/p>\n

He hopes the habitat-building nature of the farm can increase biodiversity off Nazar\u00e9\u2019s coast, offering a \u201cspillover\u201d impact to fishers. To measure this expected increase in biodiversity and to quantify the farm\u2019s carbon sequestration, Hope Zones has partnered with a local university, the Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Leiria\u2019s Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre<\/a> (MARE), to conduct long-term monitoring efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Pro

Pro Surfers Jeje Vidal (white shirt) and Miguel Blanco (with surfboard) explain the importance of recycling and waste management for the ocean in general and Marine Protected Areas in particular at Hope Zones Praia Grande, Sintra HQ. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Monitoring the Seaweed Farm\u2019s Environmental Conditions<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Nazar\u00e9 regenerative seaweed farm is not extremely large, encompassing only 22 hectares. But this size, and the fact that it\u2019s Portugal\u2019s first farm of this sort, offers immense monitoring and research potential.<\/p>\n

The Hope Zones Foundation employs various surfers, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists, but not many trained scientists. However, Macedo knew the farm needed scientific results to prove its viability.<\/p>\n

An agreement<\/a> was drafted between MARE and Hope Zones to provide the project with researchers who can monitor the farm. The tasks included a baseline ecosystem assessment conducted before the seaweed was planted, raising and cultivating the seaweed seedlings in a MARE lab, and attaching the seedlings to the seeded line spools within the farm.<\/p>\n

These tasks occurred over the past few years, and now that the farm is officially launched, MARE will continue monitoring the farm for light availability, water temperature, and turbidity to understand the optimal growing conditions.<\/p>\n

This monitoring phase will also coincide with carbon sequestration and biodiversity measurements, allowing Hope Zones to quantify their farm\u2019s ecosystem services, even at a small scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re aware that 22 hectares is not a giant carbon sink,\u201d Macedo explains. \u201cBut we are creating an environment that we can measure, and then when we scale, we can have a much better grip on \u2018what is the contribution of seaweed?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Scaling up the farm is the key idea driving Macedo\u2019s plans for not only his farm, but large swaths of the nearby Portuguese coast.<\/p>\n

\"A

A prospective dive at Hope Zones\u2019 seaweed licensed area; the water team waits for the next descent. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

What\u2019s Next for the Hope Zones Foundation\u2019s Seaweed Farm?<\/span><\/h3>\n

When Macedo envisions scaling up Hope Zones\u2019 project, he sees it happening in two ways: increasing the protected areas around Nazar\u00e9 and inspiring new seaweed farms around the world.<\/p>\n

Macedo says some of his inspiration for the seaweed farm came from the United Nations goal<\/a> to protect 30% of the world\u2019s oceans by 2030. An increasingly popular way to protect ocean ecosystems is by creating MPAs, which limit extractive practices and allow ecosystems to recover.<\/p>\n

However, in a smaller nation like Portugal, these can be difficult to implement. While there are some examples of MPAs in the country, like the Azores Islands<\/a>, Macedo recognized that an MPA around Nazar\u00e9 would be difficult to create at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cMPAs [involve] really lengthy lobbying,\u201d Macedo says. \u201cSo, for a small organization like ours, we understood that we wouldn\u2019t survive that.\u201d<\/p>\n

This justified his decision to start with a small, private farm, in the hopes that they could prove the benefits of a protected and well-managed marine environment. That\u2019s why Macedo values the water quality and biodiversity data that their monitoring will collect, so they can use these ecosystem services to lobby for more protected areas.<\/p>\n

\"Map

Map of Nazar\u00e9 explaining the location of Portugal\u2019s First Regenerative Seaweed Farm (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Macedo says that, if the monitoring shows a positive environmental impact from the farm, Hope Zones will petition the government to create MPAs surrounding his farm. But he doesn\u2019t just want to revitalize his beloved Nazar\u00e9 coastal waters; he wants to conserve huge chunks of the Portuguese coast.<\/p>\n

“We have a dream of a bigger MPA, or various MPAs that would actually be from Nazar\u00e9 all the way to Lisbon,\u201d Macedo says, which includes the Sintra-Cascais-Mafra Oceano Azul Foundation MPA initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He continues, \u201c[It\u2019s] the coastal area, where I learned to surf and the Westernmost tip of Europe, and a big conservation project that Hope Zones has aligned with”.<\/p>\n

Even with his lofty goals of establishing large-scale MPAs, Macedo wants to continue working on seaweed farms. He sees the Nazar\u00e9 farm as a case study for future farms, hoping to prove they can be beneficial not only economically, but also in conservation.<\/p>\n

As a surfer who has caught waves around the world, the global reach appeals to Macedo. He says that if his small farm in Nazar\u00e9 can inspire more to follow him, no matter where it happens, he\u2019ll see it as a success<\/p>\n

“A really important [concept] for us as an organization is that anywhere in the world where there’s a fishing community, where there’s an ocean, where there are waves and surfers, regenerative seaweed farms can become a really important conservation tool,” Macedo says.<\/p>\n

\"Hope

Hope Zones President and Patagonia Ambassador Jo\u00e3o Macedo. (Credit: Provided by the Hope Zones Foundation).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2011, Jo\u00e3o Macedo became the first Portuguese and European surfer to qualify for the World Surf League\u2019s Big Wave Championship Tour. Over the next decade, he racked up podium finishes, and in 2022, he caught the largest wave of his life off the coast of Nazar\u00e9, Portugal\u2019s world-famous surf hub. Just two years later, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":40827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7,8,44,510],"tags":[1464,2861,2860,2859,2856,2857,2855,2602,2854,2858,503],"class_list":["post-40798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","category-news","category-newsfeed","category-oceans-coasts","category-water-quality","tag-fisheries","tag-fishing-community","tag-marine-conservation","tag-marine-protected-area","tag-nazare","tag-portugal","tag-regenerative-seaweed-farm","tag-seaweed","tag-seaweed-farm","tag-surfing","tag-water-quality"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\nSurfers, Fishers, and Scientists Launch Portugal\u2019s First Regenerative Seaweed Farm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A unique coalition of surfers and 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