Underwater forests created by seaweeds provide crucial habitat and food for thousands of marine animals and play key roles in global biogeochemical cycles (including carbon and nitrogen). Unfortunately, underwater seaweed forests are retreating poleward and to deeper waters at pace from most temperate and subtropical coastlines around Australia and globally. Restoration of underwater seaweed forests can be very successful and is underway now in many regions. However, restoration efforts can be very costly, time consuming and, unless the process/es that led to the initial decline have been mitigated, have a high risk of failure. Several strategies have been proposed in favour of restoration despite persistent threats (i.e. ocean warming), including selective breeding, assisted evolution and restorative aquaculture. Here, we tested whether restorative aquaculture of seaweeds on an existing oyster lease provided environmental, social, or economic benefits in Moreton Bay. We will present preliminary findings relating to seaweed uptake of nutrients and other suspended compounds, resilience of seaweed species under simulated flood conditions, and target species and methods for seaweed farming on an oyster lease. We will also discuss our findings on how farmed seaweed influences surrounding biodiversity in a marine protected area.