Results: From Lobsters to Seaweed

Seaweed farming has the potential to do a lot of good for nature. While most produce farmed on land requires some fertilizers and pesticides, seaweed cleans the water around it—absorbing excess nitrogen and phosphorous as it grows and improving water chemistry. Scientists estimate that, globally, seaweed sequesters as much CO2 as mangroves, sea grasses, and salt marshes combined. Are you familiar with seaweed farming?

Seaweed farming also has enormous economic potential. It is a fast-growing crop, a new farmer needs a relatively small early investment to start farming, and both health-conscious consumers and large food producers are calling for more. Have you ever eaten a food product made with seaweed?

Lobsters have long been a staple of the Maine economy, worth roughly $388 million last year alone. Now lobstermen and women, along with local entrepreneurs, are turning to a new and potentially even more lucrative staple: seaweed. Were you aware that Maine's lobster fishery is declining due to warming ocean water temperatures?

Roughly 90% of seaweed is currently grown overseas, but the U.S. seaweed market is expected to grow to over $5 billion over the next six years, according to research and data provider Fact.MR. Seaweed is most commonly used in foods and supplements, but it has recently branched out to cosmetics, clothing and bioplastics (a plastic derived from biological substances rather than from petroleum, many types of which are biodegradable). Seaweed is also a natural carbon sink, helping the ocean to absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Does this sound promising for Maine's economy and the environment?

The Gulf of Maine's waters are heating faster than nearly every other ocean in the world. As a result, the survival rate of lobster eggs laid off the southern coast is dropping, moving the lobster catch north and leaving some lobstermen in a pinch. Dozens are now becoming kelp farmers as a way to diversify. Atlantic Sea Farms works with 27 lobstermen up and down the coast. They seed in the fall and harvest in the spring which allows them to lobster in the summer. Are you in favor of more sustainable farming that helps the environment?