Farming seaweed
to feed the world
Photo Credits:
Randy Olson, The Nature Conservancy, Belize
Alf Pryor, Kodiak Kelp Co., Alaska
Scott Lindell, WHOI, Massachusetts
One of the most pressing questions facing humanity is how to feed and fuel the global population – projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 – without destroying the planet in the process. The ANCIENT MARINER* consortium
was founded to address ways of producing food and energy sustainably on a global scale using seaweed.
*Alaska, Northeastern US and Caribbean Initiative Engaged in Novel Technologies for MacroAlgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources
Photo: Paul Dobbins, World Wildlife Fund
Photo: Matt Barton, WHOI
Seaweeds are “forests and fields” of the ocean with super powers for human and planetary health. They...
-
Require virtually NO inputs: NO freshwater, NO fertilizers, NO arable land! They only require “seeds,” seawater, sunlight and naturally available nutrients.
-
Promote human and animal dietary health: They contain calories, digestible micro-nutrients and compounds that can improve human and animal health.
-
Help fight climate change by absorbing CO2 and dampening wave action against the shore. They can be feedstock for the production of carbon-neutral biofuels.
-
Restore the ocean by absorbing excess nutrients, reducing ocean acidity, releasing oxygen, and providing habitat for fisheries.