UM Researchers Turned Sargassum Into Animal Feed
The two-year pilot program aims to reduce beach clean-up costs by recycling seaweed into insect-based protein.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Organic Food
Live Poll
Should organic waste be recycled to create commercial livestock and fish feed?
University of Miami researchers have started using black soldier fly larvae to convert nuisance sargassum seaweed into sustainable livestock and pet feed. The project seeks to provide a local solution to the massive piles of seaweed that regularly overwhelm South Florida beaches.
Why it matters
Sargassum blooms have cost Southeast Florida over $2.5 billion in economic losses, while Miami-Dade County spends roughly $4 million every year just on beach cleaning. Finding a way to repurpose the seaweed could alleviate these financial burdens for local governments.
Southeast Florida faced $2.5 billion in economic losses from sargassum in 2025, significantly higher than the $4 million Miami-Dade County spends annually on beach cleaning. It is still unknown if arsenic levels can be safely neutralized in the final insect-derived feed.
The players
University of Miami Rosenstiel School
The institution conducting research into converting sargassum into sustainable animal feed.
The details
Researchers at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School are feeding sargassum, combined with farm and fish factory scraps, to larvae that mature in just nine to 14 days. Over the first year of this two-year project, the team plans to develop specific feed recipes and test methods to remove heavy metals. By the second year, they aim to implement mini-breeding labs that could help process the seaweed before it decomposes on the shore.
Timeline
2009-2011: Prevailing winds shifted and expanded the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
2022: UM tested the safety of sargassum-based compost in Hallandale.
2025: Economic losses from sargassum reached over $2.5 billion.
2026-2028: The two-year pilot project for sargassum-fed larvae is underway.
Beyond the 305
This project seeks to address the massive economic toll of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, which caused over $2.5 billion in losses across the region in 2025. By testing larvae as a disposal tool, the university is attempting to pivot from costly beach cleanup to a circular economy model.
Residents may eventually see a reduction in the public funds required for constant beach remediation if these larvae farms scale effectively. Successful integration of this feed could also introduce a new, sustainable source of pet and livestock nutrients into the local supply chain.
The takeaway
This project represents a critical attempt to manage seaweed waste through rapid biological conversion. Follow the University of Miami Rosenstiel School's progress over the next two years to see if the proposed arsenic-elimination strategy successfully meets safety standards.
Further reading
Learn more about the local efforts to foster sustainable food cycles at Organic Food.
Live Poll
Should organic waste be recycled to create commercial livestock and fish feed?
