The sea is no longer limitless: researchers want to optimise the use of increasingly scarce space at sea. But so far, the technology is not playing ball.

In the past, the sea seemed limitless to many people. Today, space is becoming scarce in some places at sea: merchant ships and the navy, fishing and aquaculture, tourists and water sports enthusiasts, energy producers and nature conservation all need space. Researchers are therefore exploring the multiple utilisation of marine areas. One example is the cultivation of algae and mussels in an offshore wind farm.

Chiara Sickert squats next to a cool box containing salt water and twelve green nets. The biology student is wearing a lifejacket over her anorak, a headband and a hood. It is freezing cold on this February morning on the North Sea.