About us

Souto Ocean Culture develops seaweed cultivation at sea. Our focus is on the sustainable cultivation of local species in the Baltic Sea. We are based in Scania (Skåne) and are establishing a pilot cultivation site in Österlen. 

Souto Ocean Culture was established in 2022 with the aim of advancing commercial seaweed cultivation at sea in Skåne. We are committed to developing sustainable cultivation that generates benefits for society from the rich resources of the Baltic Sea. The focus of our work is nursery and seeding, cultivation and processing of species available locally. We are currently working with bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus), toothed wrack (Fucus serratus), gutweed (Ulva intestinalis) and sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca).

We have recently been granted a permit by the Skåne County Administrative Board to install our pilot cultivation at sea outside Vik, in Österlen. In case you wish to receive a copy of the permit, please contact us using the form below.

We run our own hatchery in Simrishamn in partnership with Skillinge fisk-Impex, where we develop methods for seeding lines for deployment at sea. In the fall of 2023 we initiated a collaboration with the Laboratory of Seaweed at Kochi University in Japan, with the aim of improving hatchery, cultivation and processing methods of green seaweed of the genera Ulva and Monostroma.

Since the winter of 2023, we are leading project Tångkusten, 'The seaweed coast', the aim of which is to lay the foundations for a seaweed industry in Skåne.

Tångkusten

The seaweed coast

For a sustainable Scanian seaweed industry

Tångkusten, Swedish for ’The seaweed coast’, is a two-year project aiming at laying the groundwork for commercial seaweed cultivation at sea in Skåne. The project is being implemented by a consortium of local and international partners and is co-financed by Region Skåne.

The name of the project, ‘The seaweed coast’ is our vision of an economically, socially and environmentally responsible seaweed industry in the Baltic Sea, where companies, academia, public authorities and the general public cooperate toward innovation, societal gains and resource efficiency. We envision a seaweed industry that is rooted locally and competitive internationally, and which exploits local species for the development of different products for consumers and industry.

The project encompasses the development of nursery and cultivation methods, an investigation into business models for future seaweed companies, the identification of potential uses in the food and blue biotech sectors, and the development of consumer markets for seaweed products.

Tångkusten started in early 2023 after receiving a grant from Region Skåne’s support to circular and sustainable food systems. Tångkusten, ‘The seaweed coast’, is being drive by Souto Ocean Culture and Marint Centrum in Simrishamn. The other project partners are Kivik tång, Innovationscenter för landsbygden, Nemo Seafarms, Under ytan and Lund University.

On April 8th, 2024, Tångkusten will be holding an event for potential commercial customers and partners whose work relates to seaweed. For the general public, Simrishamn´s municipality will organise Sillens dag ('Herring day') in Simrishamn on September 14th, 2024, where a number of seaweed-related activities are planned. Stay tuned on Simrishamn´s municipality website for details.

Would you like to know more about the project? Are you interested in doing a student dissertation with us? If so, please contact us using the form below.