Superpower: helping communities adapt to climate impacts
Most seaweed consumed in the US is transported from the other side of the world. But the US coast offers enormous opportunities for farming seaweed. At the same time, fishers’ livelihoods are being hit hard by climate change.
Take Maine, for example. Along its rocky coasts, fishing is a crucial source of jobs for thousands of people. But the Gulf of Maine is warming three times faster than the ocean as a whole, putting pressure on the fishing industry. That’s where seaweed comes in.
Farming seaweed can supplement fishers’ income. Seaweed is grown in the winter while the prime fishing season is in the summer, which means that it can fit seamlessly into a fishers’ schedule.
That seaweed can then be sold locally in the growing US market. By supplying seaweed locally instead of shipping it across the world, its carbon footprint is reduced.
Superpower: buffering against stronger storms
As the climate crisis intensifies storms and drives higher sea levels, coastlines are being eroded. Seaweed helps to buffer against erosion.
When back-to-back storms hit coastal Maine in January 2024, for example, $70 million in damage was recorded to public infrastructure along the coast. Amazingly, most seaweed farms remained intact and had minimal damage. Seaweed had served as a natural buffer!
Superpower: providing an alternative to plastic
Made from fossil fuels such as oil and gas, plastic has a huge carbon footprint. It also has a huge impact on our oceans. Every minute, the amount of plastic entering the ocean could fill an entire dump truck! This endangers animals like sea turtles and whales.
Did you know that seaweed can be used to make alternatives to products produced with plastic, such as plastic-free fishing line, nets, and even bags? By using locally grown seaweed, these alternatives have a low carbon footprint.