PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 6, 2022
Maine’s working waterfront communities grew more than 85 percent of the cultivated seaweed in the entire U.S. in 2021. Seaweed farming is positive and additive and is done with no inputs, no arable land and no fresh water; it helps improve the ocean by removing carbon and nitrogen from the water column. It is the most climate-friendly food on the planet and is rich with nutrients and minerals. It’s helping working waterfront communities mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to a changing ocean as wild fisheries become increasingly volatile. Maine can continue to be the leader in the production of this superfood, while making our coastal communities and oceans more resilient. We have more than 4,000 lobster license holders who can farm kelp in their off-season, and a deep desire to ensure that our fishing communities are able to continue to work on the water for generations. ~ Briana Warner, Atlantic Sea Farms, Biddeford