The Future of Seaweed and the Seaweed Revolution

In wake of warming sea temperatures and rapid industrialization, we need to think about what the future holds in store for Canadian seaweed and its harvesters. Seaweed is more than a natural resource.It is part of the ocean’s vast photosynthetic ecosystem, which produces roughly half of the oxygen generated on Earth. That significance exceeds industry, which is why industry players, such as ourselves, bear a serious responsibility as stewards of the ocean. A growing interest in the multifunctionality of seaweed’s bioactives, and a global shift in perception of natural products, is developing into what we, active in this sector for a decade now, have been anticipating for a long time. A seaweed revolution is on the horizon.

Stewardship and Empirical Practice 

Good stewardship is essential to balancing production with protection of marine ecosystems. Speculation can cause excitement leading to a “gold rush” mentality. On the frontlines where the water meets the shore, we have firsthand, physical insight into the incessant change along the North Atlantic coastline. While wading the intertidal zones and diving beneath the shallow coastal waters producing these various brown algae species, examining natural cycles throughout the summer into the fall, recording changes in growth rates and water temperature, we are engaged in the gradual and practical work of measuring the ocean’s well-being. Our intimate proximity gives us a supervisory eye to what is happening below the surface. This empirical objectivity brings a sense of realism to the ramping up of the industry and the enthusiasm sure to accompany it. 

We of course welcome the optimism surrounding seaweed. The message we’ve been sending about the potential of its bioactives is garnering a reception, which is why it’s imperative we take care of it so it can continue taking care of us. 

Our practices nurture this reciprocal relationship between provider and producer. Although being wild harvesters, we follow the rhythm of a traditional farming practice. That means we rotate from bed to bed seasonally. It honours fallow periods so crops have time to recover. Once we’ve cut and collected the crop, we trim it on site, returning fallen pieces to the water so reproductive material can remain in the ecosystem and help support natural regeneration. It's important to harvest mindfully or the delicate system could become upset and dysregulated. 

Being a forward thinker is an essential component of this job. Harvesting for an upcoming production cycle also means setting the reproductive processes in motion for regrowth the following year. A very small amount, 20% of a bed, is all we take. While our footprint is small, we pride ourselves on harvesting in a way that respects the seaweed as a living resource and recognizes the vital role it plays in the marine ecosystem.

Networks of Communication

With seaweed about to go mainstream, local voices are more essential than ever. Those local, more often than not rural, voices belong to the people who have the closest relationship to seaweed. Their livelihoods often depend directly on how they interact with that industry. Our chief harvester, Darrin for instance, remembers patterns from

season to season of how the seaweed has behaved. If you can establish a pattern within data that you collect, then you can start to make predictions. At this tentative time, as water temperatures are shifting and acidity is shifting in the oceans, our goal is to have a more closely dialed-in approach to how the seaweed behaves, recording the actual density and size of the beds and gardens year over year. 

Essentially, there’s a whole network of expertise within the industry. There are those of us working directly where the biomass is harvested, researchers at institutions like the Marine Institute and Memorial University, and marine and algal scientists, including those at the Marine Research Station in Ketch Harbour, Nova Scotia. Representing the public interest, DFO also needs to be informed. Every harvest season, we submit harvest and population data that contributes to a better understanding of the resource and helps inform balanced, proportionate regulation of the industry. Communication between these various spheres is the best means for opening a realistic dialogue with larger business. 

Global demand for seaweed is surging. The time for this conversation is ripening. When it comes to fruition, it should be grounded in years of expertise and sweat equity, by those whose hands are on the ocean-floor and whose eyes are peering through the microscope, those who care for the human benefit this organism brings and the rugged coastlines producing it. 

The Future of Seaweed in Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada has colder waters, an incredible diversity of species, making it a great rehearsal area for how to introduce scalable infrastructure in accordance with the know-how of established practices. Atlantic Canadians need to take up that space, present ourselves on the world stage as an example of what the seaweed revolution can be if done inclusively and responsibly. 

More than ever the Atlantic needs stewards to speak up for its future. We may be rural and small, yet that refines our voices, delivering a message honouring our responsibility to supervise the balance of the ocean. 

It’s our hope that we have set the right example for the future of this industry and for the future generations who will inherit the condition we leave it in.