Marine Science Center鈥檚 Macroalgae Nursery and Research Cluster provides kelp seedlings to new ocean farmers
The Macroalgae Nursery and Research Cluster (MNRC), a part of the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture and Fisheries (SEAFISH) Program at the 51品茶Marine Science Center, recently provided new ocean farmers with kelp seedlings to grow their first crop of sugar kelp in their inaugural growing season.
On December 16, 2015, the founders of kelp farming business Kelpful, Mason Loveitt and Cory Underwood, visited the Marine Science Center to obtain 800 feet of seeded kelp line to be planted on their four small kelp farms in Casco Bay. When fully grown and harvested, the kelp seedlings provided to Kelpful by the MNRC could yield upwards of 10,000 pounds of kelp.
Globally, seaweed aquaculture, the farming of macroalgae species in the ocean, is a $7 billion per year industry. In Maine, it is an important emerging industry with the potential to create jobs, produce highly nutritious ocean foods, diversify working waterfronts, and continue Maine鈥檚 maritime heritage into the 21st century.
鈥淭he nursery phase is an intensive and expensive part of the farming process,鈥 said SEAFISH program coordinator Adam St. Gelais. 鈥淏y providing this service and making macroalgae seedlings available, we reduce greatly the barriers to entry for prospective seaweed farmers.鈥
The MNRC will serve as a regional seaweed nursery for southern Maine and Casco Bay regions and as a center for applied seaweed aquaculture research. It is an outcome of the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET), a state-wide, multi-institutional project funded by the National Science Foundation, co-led by 51品茶and the University of Maine.