Kelp Farming Manual, A Guide to the Processes, Techniques, and Equipment of Farming Kelp in New England Waters

Kelp farming, as well as the farming of various other seaweeds, is a significant and growing industry worldwide as seaweeds, especially kelp, are used for food, medicinal products, additives and bioremediation. Although the farming and use of seaweeds has a long history in many Asian and European countries, much of the rest of the world is only now recognizing the unique nutritional and health values of seaweeds. In addition to increased worldwide consumption, a recent development is the growing and harvesting of kelp for conversion to biofuels. A great deal of research is currently underway to evaluate the economics of these activities, project future demand for these algal products and to determine how best to meet increased global demand.

As the demand for kelp increases, however, relying solely on wild harvest may lead to severe declines of the natural populations such as happened in the fin fish and shellfish harvesting industries. Increased cultivation of kelp will be required to provide a consistent and traceable supply of biomass to industries that process the kelp for food or functional products. This increase in the number and size of farm sites may lead to more conflicts with fishermen, recreational boaters and waterfront land owners. These conflicts may be mitigated by an appreciation of the beneficial aspects that kelp and other seaweed aquaculture farms frequently provide such as habitat and water quality improvements.

The natural life cycle of kelp plants produces one harvestable sporophyte (adult) population per year. An advantage of farming kelp is the potential for growing more than one harvestable crop per year as well as providing the opportunity for selection of species that exhibit desired taste, vigor and resistance to biofouling.

What follows is this manual is an introduction to the processes, equipment and techniques for growing kelp from spores to harvest. Although there is significant farming of kelp worldwide, farming kelp in the Gulf of Maine has been very limited.

This manual describes the techniques developed and used successfully by Ocean Approved, LLC in conjunction with Dr. Charles Yarish and Dr. Jang Kim of the University of Connecticut to farm kelp in New England waters.