Data compilation of reproductive traits of seagrass species, including potential seed production, life cycle period and location of seed release, used to calculate domestication and rewilding potential. The data on potential seed production involve reports on seed density for some species, but for other species also assessment through calculation, i.e. multiplication of the number of ovaries per reproductive unit by the density of reproductive units per m2. The life cycle period and location of seed release were updated and extended from previously published overviews. The traits were used to calculate domestication and rewilding potential of seagrass species. It is well-known that seagrass meadows sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, protect coasts, provide nurseries for global fisheries and enhance biodiversity. Large-scale restoration of lost seagrass meadows is urgently needed to revive these planetary ecosystem services, but sourcing donor material from natural meadows would further decline them. Therefore, we advocate domestication and mariculture of seagrasses, to produce the large quantities of seed needed for successful rewilding the sea with seagrass meadows. We provide a roadmap for our proposed solution and show that 44% of seagrass species have promising reproductive traits for domestication and rewilding by seeds. The principle of partially domesticating species to enable subsequent large-scale rewilding may form a successful short-cut to restore threatened keystone species and their vital ecosystem services.