Maine’s Seaweed Moment
A film and conversation about Maine's emerging seaweed industry and what it could mean for coastal communities, local ocean health, and the future of food.
Up and down Maine's working waterfront, families are looking for new ways to diversify their income as the ocean changes. Maine's Seaweed Moment follows Nathan Johnson and his daughter Natalie, multi-generational residents of Long Island, Casco Bay, Maine, as they navigate the realities of building a family seaweed farming business while helping shape a young industry.
Through their story, the film explores what responsibly farmed seaweed could mean for Maine: new opportunities for coastal economies, continued support for working waterfronts, contributions to local ocean health, and a role in more resilient food systems. It also introduces viewers to the people, science, and communities behind Maine's growing kelp sector and why seaweed is attracting interest as a sustainable food, agricultural input, and ocean-based climate solution.
Kelp farming is not a silver bullet. It is one practical, place-based solution that can help Maine's coast respond to real and growing pressures, from changing ocean conditions and strained working waterfronts to the need for new economic opportunities that benefit both people and nature. Challenges remain around processing and market development, but the film keeps that balance in view, showing that seaweed farming will only deliver on its promise if it grows responsibly, guided by science, community trust, and careful stewardship.
Festival screening
Maine Seaweed Week at Maine Outdoor Film Festival
Following the film screening, a panel of farmers, scientists, and industry leaders expands on these themes, exploring the future of Maine's seaweed economy, emerging markets, environmental considerations, and the role of public trust in shaping responsible aquaculture growth.
Meet the Panel
Nichole Price, Moderator
Senior Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.
Nichole Price is a benthic marine ecologist with interest in how global change phenomena, like ocean acidification and warming, can alter bottom-dwelling species interactions, community dynamics, and ecosystem function in shallow coastal regimes. Her work focuses primarily on the eco-physiology of seaweeds and calcifying invertebrates and their current and future role in dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrient cycling. Nichole utilizes state-of-the-art analytical tools including prototype autonomous oceanographic instrument packages in field campaigns, develops custom experimental aquaria in the lab, and applies emerging technological approaches (like environmental DNA) to tackle fundamental ecological research questions about population dynamics, biological feedbacks, and ecosystem services. Nichole also applies her expertise to explore mitigation strategies for coastal acidification (the ‘Halo’ effect) and climate change (e.g., blue carbon and uses of farmed seaweeds). She has focused on these topics primarily on tropical coral reefs and temperate systems and extrapolates her results from each biome to regional and global scales using statistical modeling.
Dana O’Brien
BioHarbor Strategies
Dana O’Brien is the founder of BioHarbor Strategies, where he works at the intersection of the bioeconomy and the blue economy helping blue biotech companies, research institutions, and partners navigate policy, shape regulatory frameworks, and bring marine innovations to market responsibly. He brings more than two decades of experience in public policy, communications, and coalition building, with a track record of advancing complex initiatives in Washington and beyond. Dana began his career on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director to Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and later served as Executive Vice President for Food and Agriculture and Chief Sustainability Officer at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Most recently, he led FocusMaine, a nonprofit focused on growing the state’s biotech, aquaculture, and agriculture sectors. Dana is known for connecting the dots between science, policy, and markets and for building the partnerships needed to turn emerging opportunities, like Maine’s seaweed sector, into lasting economic drivers.
Bailey Moritz
World Wildlife Fund Lead Expert
As the lead specialist for Seaweed and Shellfish Farming on the WWF-US Aquaculture team, Bailey supports the seaweed industry in reducing barriers to growth and advancement for climate gains. Her current region of focus is the Eastern Pacific to the North Atlantic. She oversees grants to community organizations and research institutes focused on projects ranging from the ecosystem services of seaweed and shellfish farming to the installation of demonstration farms in new communities. She develops workshops aimed at driving new markets for seaweed, including as a livestock feed and alternative packaging material, bringing together stakeholders across the respective value chains.
Nathan Johnson
Seaweed Farmer
Nathan was raised, and continues to live, on Long Island in Casco Bay, Maine. His family has lived and fished from the islands of Casco Bay for hundreds of years. Professionally he is involved in multiple aspects of sustainable development in the blue economy sector—including underwater renewable power systems, aquaculture and commercial fishing. In 2015, Nathan established Shearwater Ventures as an early mover in the kelp farming industry. He served on the Boards of the Island Institute and Maine Fishermen’s Forum, the advisory committee for Maine SeaGrant, and as a member of the State of Maine’s Blue Economy Task Force.
Jaclyn Robidoux
Maine Sea Grant
As a member of the Marine Extension Team, Jaclyn focuses on the development of the seaweed sector in Maine, with an emphasis on sustainable production, post-harvest processing, and product development. Her work provides support for coastal communities through outreach education, technology transfer programs, and by coordinating stakeholders around Maine’s seaweed resources. Jaclyn’s background in technical seaweed aquaculture research helps to link ongoing applied research with industry capacity and opportunities, to foster robust and sustainable working waterfronts along Maine’s coast.
Explore more
WWF seaweed resources
Responsible growth starts with trust
WWF supports science-based approaches to seaweed farming that benefit both people and nature. As the industry grows, success will depend not only on innovation and markets, but also on transparency, community engagement, and careful stewardship of ocean ecosystems.