Maine leading the way in seaweed farming, the new frontier of American agriculture

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2025

From Eastport to Biddeford, a new kind of farming is transforming Maine’s working waterfronts. Seaweed farming, one of the fastest growing forms of aquaculture, is no longer a niche idea. It’s a serious agricultural sector with growing demand, measurable environmental benefits, and real opportunity to enhance rural prosperity. And Maine is leading the charge. But seaweed farmers need the same science-based support that land-based agriculture has received for generations. Maine has the farmers. We have the science. We have the opportunity. Let’s match it with the investment and policy support needed to lead the next chapter of American agriculture — from the water up. ~ Deborah Bronk, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences