Hatchery and seed
Seedlings and seeded substrates with guaranteed size and density, free of fouling, so every farm starts with quality material.
- Hatchery design and start up
- Sori, gametophyte and seeding protocols
- Training for laboratory teams
Patagonian seaweed, from sea to land.
Seaweed hatchery, farming and restoration services from Puerto Varas, Chile, with applied research to turn seaweed into valuable products.
What we do with seaweed
We work across the whole life of seaweeds: producing healthy seed in the hatchery, taking it to sea and keeping a farm running, and researching what to do with the biomass once it is harvested.
Farming and restoration
From site to mooring: area selection, farm system design, installation and operation at sea, and restoration of natural kelp beds.
- Site assessment and permitting support
- Design of lines, moorings and modules
- Operation, monitoring and harvest
- Integrated farming with salmon (IMTA)
Research and development of products and processes
Applied research, farm modeling and analysis of production data, together with the development of products from the biomass.
- Publicly funded projects
- Biorefinery, bioactives and biopolymers
- Product development, from lab to pilot
How a giant kelp farm begins
Macrocystis pyrifera alternates between a giant plant and a microscopic stage. Hatchery work is about controlling that invisible stage. There are two routes to produce seed: choose one and walk through its steps.
Broodstock selection
Fertile blades near the base of the plant develop sori, dark patches where millions of spores form. They are collected, cleaned and selected by maturity and origin.
What we doProtocols for collecting, cleaning and shipping sori, including shipments abroad.
Zoospore release
In the laboratory the sori release zoospores: swimming cells a few microns long looking for a place to settle. Temperature, light and hygiene decide how many survive.
What we doControl of spore density and bacterial contamination from day one.
Spool seeding
Zoospores settle on fine twine wound on spools, inside tanks with controlled light, temperature and nutrients. In six to eight weeks the sporophytes reach a few millimeters and the twine is ready to go to sea.
What we doProduction of seeded spools, with density and contamination control throughout the tank period.
Gametophytes in the lab
Zoospores germinate into microscopic male and female gametophytes that are kept free floating in culture medium, in a vegetative growth phase without reproduction.
What we doGametophyte isolation and culture under controlled light, temperature and nutrients.
Bank and propagation
Stock cultures kept under low light and temperature serve as a germplasm bank for years. From them, biomass is multiplied by fragmentation in flasks, carboys and photobioreactors, without relying on new wild broodstock.
What we doGermplasm banks by origin and production scale propagation for each season.
Induction
About three weeks before seeding, a change in light and photoperiod triggers reproduction. Gametophytes produce eggs and sperm, and the fertilized eggs give rise to the first sporophytes.
What we doInduction trials per batch to secure culture response on the seeding date.
Seeding
Induced seed is applied to the grow rope in two steps with a seeding machine: first the suspension of sporophytes and gametophytes, then a natural binder that fixes it to the fibers. It can also be seeded onto spools, as in the traditional route.
What we doMechanized direct seeding and spool seeding, depending on site and project scale.
Juvenile sporophytes
The sporophyte is the stage that grows into a plant several meters long. The first blades appear attached to the twine or grow rope and are tracked under the microscope until outplanting.
What we doSize and density monitoring to deliver seed with guaranteed parameters.
Farming at sea
At the farm site, the spool twine is wrapped around the longline, or the seeded rope is deployed directly, held by buoys and moorings. In a few months giant kelp can reach several meters and is ready to harvest.
What we doDesign, installation and operation of farm systems in Chile and abroad.
Harvest
When the kelp reaches its target biomass, the lines are hauled with a crane and the seaweed is cut and loaded on board. Harvest can be total or partial, leaving the base of the plant to regrow.
What we doHarvest planning, biomass records per line and handling of the biomass to its destination.
New regulatory framework, 2026
Seaweed that works for salmon farming
We farm seaweed alongside salmon sites to recover the nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon released by fish production, and we deliver measured results that third parties can verify.
In 2026 Chile’s Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture announced a change to Resolution 1089 that lets authorized salmon concessions add macroalgae, integrated or alternating with fish, without modifying the technical project. This opens integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) to commercial scale in Chile.
Site diagnosis
Nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon balance from fish biomass, feed and local currents. It defines how much seaweed area is needed and where to place it.
Design and installation
Native species such as giant kelp and Gracilaria, lines and moorings compatible with the fish pens, and seed from our hatchery.
Farming as a service
We run the seaweed farm and coordinate it with the site’s production cycle and fallowing, partnering with local fishers and unions.
Measurement and reporting
Harvested biomass times laboratory N, P and C content. One report per season, traceable and open to independent verification.
38 kgof dissolved nitrogen are released per tonne of salmon produced, at a feed conversion ratio of 1.2.
20 a 40 kgof nitrogen leave the sea with every dry tonne of harvested seaweed.
≈ 30 %of the dissolved nitrogen from a 4,500 t site could be recovered with about 50 hectares of seaweed.
Reference figures from our nutrient balance model and SINTEF Ocean (2026); every site needs its own calculation. Carbon captured in the biomass is measured and reported; turning it into removal credits depends on methodologies still under development.
What the salmon farm gains
- Measured indicators of nutrients removed, for sustainability reporting and certification.
- Productive use of fallowed or underused concessions.
- Habitat and shelter for native species under the seaweed lines.
- Biomass with value: biostimulants and other biorefinery products.
- Joint work with coastal communities and a stronger local license to operate.
In development
From kelp forest to farm field
We are developing a liquid biostimulant from Macrocystis pyrifera grown in the Los Lagos Region of Chile.
A seaweed biostimulant stimulates the plant’s natural processes: better growth, better use of nutrients and greater stress tolerance, thanks to the bioactive compounds in giant kelp.
What it does for the crop
Drought and water stress
Helps sustain growth when water is short or irrigation is limited.
Heat
Supports plant function under extreme temperatures and UV exposure.
Salinity
Supports water uptake and growth in saline soils or irrigation water.
Nutrient use
Improves uptake and transport of available nutrients: more return from applied fertilizer.
Living soil
Stimulates beneficial microbes, nutrient cycling and soil organic matter.
Growth
Boosts germination, root development and shoot formation.
Resilience
Speeds recovery after a stress event and protects yield potential.
Yield and quality
The outcome of a plant that works better and tolerates more stress.
Active compounds in giant kelp
Polysaccharides
Alginates, fucoidan and laminarin: stimulate growth, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance.
Polyphenols
Antioxidants that modulate plant defenses and regulate growth.
Phytohormone like compounds
Zoospores germinate into microscopic male and female gametophytes that are kept free floating in culture medium, in a vegetative growth phase without reproduction.
Amino acids and minerals
The sporophyte is the stage that grows into a plant several meters long. The first blades appear attached to the twine or grow rope and are tracked under the microscope until outplanting.
Biorefinery: the whole seaweed, in cascade
One harvest can yield several products. We research sequential extraction processes that use the entire biomass, from the soluble extract to biopolymers.
- 1
Biostimulant
First soluble fraction, obtained by osmotic shock and heat treatment.
- 2
Fucoidan
Sulfated polysaccharide with antioxidant, anti inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity.
- 3
Alginate
Gelling and thickening agent; the base for biopolymers, hydrogels and bioplastics.
- 4
Residual fraction
Soil amendments and new applications, so nothing goes to waste.
The optimization of this sequential extraction in Macrocystis pyrifera was published in ACS Omega (2026), with researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Product development
We take farmed kelp from the lab to the pilot and on to the market. We design publicly funded projects, work with universities and companies, scale up processes and assess the technical and economic feasibility of each product.
- Animal feed
Animal feed
We develop feeds that include kelp for farmed animals, as a source of minerals, fiber and functional polysaccharides.
- Seaweed meal
Human food
Meals and ingredients from farmed kelp for healthy foods, building on our drying, milling and nutritional characterization projects.
- Seaweed paste
Cosmetics
A stabilized paste of farmed Macrocystis that keeps its native polysaccharide and polyphenol profile. We are preparing a shipment to Korea to evaluate it as a raw material for the cosmetics industry.
- Research
Bioplastics and biomaterials
Kelp alginate is the basis for films, hydrogels and biodegradable bioplastics that can replace fossil based materials.
- Biorefinery
Extracts and bioactives
Fucoidan, alginate and polyphenols obtained by sequential extraction, for applications in nutrition, health and personal care.
- Biostimulant
Agriculture
Biostimulants and soil amendments from kelp, for crops that cope better with stress and for livelier soils.
More than a decade in the water
Patagonia Seaweeds is founded
The company is set up to provide seaweed farming, research and consulting services.
Hatchery for an industrial program
Seed production, environmental monitoring and installation of giant kelp farm systems.
FIC Seaweed Project
Pilot giant kelp hatchery and farm with training for small scale fishers, funded by the regional government.
Solar drying of seaweed
Solar dryer prototype to produce seaweed meal, supported by Corfo.
ARPA-E MARINER
Principal investigator in a U.S. Department of Energy program on large scale macroalgae farming.
Open ocean farming
Farm system design and support for site license applications in the North Atlantic.
Protocols and proposals
Protocols for extracting and shipping Macrocystis sori, and a technical hatchery and farming proposal for a Red Sea pilot.
Ongoing R&D advisory
Research and development services for Ocean Rainforest, an open ocean seaweed farming company.
Giant kelp hatchery and farming
Field advisory for Cascadia Seaweed on hatchery and farming best practices.
Offshore giant kelp farming
Leading an offshore Macrocystis pyrifera farming project in California, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy with US$ 9 million.
Pilot processing plant
Installation of a pilot plant for seaweed extraction and processing.
Publications
- 2026Optimization of the Sequential Extraction Process of Compounds for the Integral Valorization of Macrocystis pyrifera
Silva, F. C. O., et al., incl. Infante Rosselot, J. ACS Omega 11: 40402.
- 2024Life-cycle analysis of offshore macroalgae production systems in the United States
Kwon, H., Hawkins, T. R., Zaimes, G. G., Infante, J., et al. Algal Research 82: 103654.
- 2022A Macroalgal Cultivation Modeling System (MACMODS): Evaluating the Role of Physical-Biological Coupling on Nutrients and Farm Yield
Frieder, C. A., et al. Frontiers in Marine Science.
- 2020Technical challenges for offshore cultivation of kelp species: lessons learned and future directions
Bak, U. G., Gregersen, O. & Infante, J. Botanica Marina.
- 2019Revisiting the economic profitability of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Ochrophyta) cultivation in Chile
Camus, C., Infante, J. & Buschmann, A. H. Aquaculture 502.
- 2018Overview of 3 year precommercial seafarming of Macrocystis pyrifera along the Chilean coast
Camus, C., Infante, J. & Buschmann, A. H. Reviews in Aquaculture.
- 2017Seaweed production: overview of the global state of exploitation, farming and emerging research activity
Buschmann, A. H., Camus, C., Infante, J., et al. European Journal of Phycology.
- 2014The status of kelp exploitation and marine agronomy, with emphasis on Macrocystis pyrifera, in Chile
Buschmann, A. H., Prescott, S., Potin, P., Faugeron, S., Vásquez, J. A., Camus, C., Infante, J., et al. Advances in Botanical Research 71: 161.
Javier Infante Rosselot
Founder and general managerAquaculture engineer with an MBA and more than twenty years in marine aquaculture, applied research and commercial development across Chile, the United States, Mexico, Australia, Scotland and the Faroe Islands, among other countries.
He has led large scale open water seaweed farming operations and multidisciplinary hatchery, farming and laboratory teams. He has directed publicly funded research programs in Chile and abroad, from proposal through budget management and reporting, bringing together biology, farm system engineering and technical and economic evaluation.
He has represented companies and consortia before regulators, funding agencies, investors, academia and industry, and has turned research results into working farm systems and peer reviewed publications.
PADI dive instructor and Chilean Maritime Authority specialist diver.
Let’s talk
Tell us where your project stands: a hatchery to design, a farm to install or a product idea to evaluate.
- jinfante@patagoniaseaweeds.com
- Where we are
- Puerto Varas, Los Lagos Region, Chile