Sustainable seed production for North Atlantic kelp aquaculture

Demand for seaweed products has dramatically increased in the U.S.; however, only 1% is met with domestic production. Expansion of seaweed aquaculture is crucial to protect wild populations from extinction by overharvesting, which impacts entire marine ecosystems. Current kelp aquaculture methods rely on harvested reproductive tissue, which is not sustainable. In response to NOAA Topic 9.3, Healthy Oceans, Ocean’s Balance Inc.—working with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution—proposes to develop procedures to scale the growth of skinny kelp (Saccharina latissima forma angustissima) gametophytes in culture to produce a commercial-scale seedstring product that does not rely on repeated wild tissue harvests. Skinny kelp is a fast growing phenotype of sugar kelp with desirable commercial characteristics native to Maine. The resulting seedstring product will allow existing seaweed farms to expand production, increase yields, and extend their growing season without damaging fragile coastal environments. More off-season fishermen will be able to augment their income by starting new seaweed farms. This project will research best practices for producing seedstring with skinny kelp gametophyte cultures and assess its superiority to seedstring prepared with meiospore seeding techniques and assess extending the growing season in preparation for scaling production in Phase II.