Our panel discusses the value of seaweed to Maine’s economy, some potential ways to grow Maine’s seaweed industry, and the questions associated with seaweed harvesting in Maine. Fishermen and others are turning to growing or harvesting kelp and other seaweeds as demand grows for use in foods, medicine, fertilizer and more. It is also seen as a way for fishermen to augment their livelihoods.
Guests
Adam St. Gelais, assistant director for science, UNE NORTH: The Institute for North Atlantic Studies; assistant lecturer, UNE School of Marine Programs
Briana Warner, CEO, Atlantic Sea Farms/Ocean Approved
Tom Roth, co-owner and seaweed harvester, VitaminSea
Barry Costa Pierce (by phone), executive director, UNE NORTH: The Institute for North Atlantic Studies; Henry L. & Grace Doherty Professor of Marine Sciences; fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; UNE principal council representative, University of the Arctic
Robin Hadlock Seeley (by phone), marine scientist, affiliate faculty, UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering; chief scientific officer, Rockweed Coalition
Nick Branchina (by phone), associate director, fisheries and aquaculture, CEI
Resources
- NOAA: What is seaweed?
- Briana Warner named CEO of Ocean Approved
- Maine’s Supreme Court Says Companies Don't Have The Right To Harvest Rockweed On Private Property
- Downeast Audubon to present ‘Maine’s Seaweed Scene’
- UMaine Cooperative Extension: Rockweed Fact Sheet
- NOAA: Lab Takes on Sugar Kelp Cultivation
- Maine Seaweed Companies
- New York Times: Seaweed Products to Sample
- Time: Is Seaweed Healthy? Here's What Experts Say
- Seaweed Week