Saving Seafood

North Carolina State University researchers discover “fluffy net” can capture underwater microplastics

August 19, 2026 — A study recently published in Science Advances, funded by the National Science Foundation, found using a biopolymer mesh in a web-like formation – similar to that of seaweed – can capture oceanic microplastics in both freshwater and seawater environments as a powerful anti-pollution tool.

Four researchers from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based North Carolina State University’s department of chemical and biomedical engineering published the study: “Artificial Neptune balls: Superadhesive biomimetic networks for broad-size microplastics capture and removal.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Study piloting use of black soldier flies to solve Florida’s sargassum issues

August 18, 2026 — A new study by the University of Miami is trying to determine whether black soldier fly larvae could be a scalable solution to the U.S. state of Florida’s sargassum problem.

Florida’s Atlantic coast is regularly hit by “sargassum inundation events,” which cover the shoreline in massive piles of the seaweed. Researchers have determined the problem has been beginning earlier in the year, and in 2026, South Florida’s shores have been hit with a record-breaking bloom, according to the study’s authors.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US lawmakers introduce marine carbon dioxide removal bill

March 3, 2026 — U.S. lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to improve research into removing carbon dioxide from the ocean, potentially through aquaculture practices like seaweed farming.

“Carbon dioxide removal is an essential tool in the fight against the climate crisis, in addition to being a driver of American innovation,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in a release. “Our bill will encourage research into mCDR [marine carbon dioxide removal] to ensure it’s safe and effective, benefits coastal communities, and protects ecosystems.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Is seaweed aquaculture the next big crop for Florida?

August 28, 2025 — Florida’s coastline may one day host more than oysters, clams, fish and shrimp. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and Florida Sea Grant are asking whether seaweed could be the state’s next big sustainable crop.

The effort, launched last year with a $250,000 grant from NOAA’s National Sea Grant Aquaculture Program, brings together scientists, industry partners and Extension agents to answer whether seaweed is a good fit for Florida. The findings could pave the way for a thriving seaweed farming industry much like it serves as a high-value crop in regions in Europe and the Americas.

Led by Ashley Smyth, an associate professor of soil, water and ecosystem sciences at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, the project team shared updates recently that sparked strong interest from researchers, aquaculture professionals and entrepreneurs in exploring the feasibility and economic potential of seaweed farming in Florida.

“Seaweed aquaculture has tripled over the past two decades — with Asia producing nearly all the supply — and it’s one of the fastest-growing commodity sectors globally,” said Angela Collins, Florida Sea Grant assistant Extension scientist specializing in marine fisheries and shellfish aquaculture at the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab and a co-principal investigator on the project.

Smyth explained that the research focuses on the potential and the

practical limits of cultivating seaweed in Florida’s warm waters.

“Seaweed acts like a sponge, pulling excess nitrogen out of the water,” she said. “If harvested, it removes that nitrogen completely, which means it could serve as both a product for growers and a tool for improving water quality.”

Florida’s unique environment presents opportunities and unknowns.

Read the full article at the University of Florida

The huge blob of seaweed headed for Florida has shrunk by 75%

July 12, 2023 — Florida vacations are back on, sans stinky seaweed.

The record-breaking mass of stinky seaweed that began appearing on Florida’s iconic beaches this spring, known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Seaweed Belt, shrunk in the Gulf of Mexico by 75% last month, according to scientists from the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab.

The seaweed, which smells like rotten eggs and emits toxic gases when it comes ashore, proved a nuisance for Florida beachgoers in the spring – which is also the start of the Sunshine State’s tourist season. In April, the seaweed set a record, with scientists identifying 3 million tons of sargassum in the Caribbean Sea.

Read the full article at CNN

Giant belt of smelly seaweed will soon invade Gulf Coast shores

March 27, 2023 — A huge belt of sargassum, a seaweed that originates in the Sargasso Sea, is anticipated to wash up on shores in Florida, states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean islands this summer.

A report by the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab determined that more than 24 million metric tons of sargassum has collected in the Atlantic as of June 2022, one of the largest amounts in history. USA today reports visitors to Florida, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico might encounter the sargassum as massive amounts of smelly, brown seaweed washed ashore.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Bed-scale impact and recovery of a commercially important intertidal seaweed

February 17, 2023 — A study led by the University of Maine captured how entire rockweed beds recover from harvest, and the practice has a smaller impact than previously thought.

Rockweed wields immense influence over its intertidal habitat. Its tangled branches form the backbone of a rich ecosystem that shelters and feeds an abundance of marine life. Everywhere rockweed grows, invertebrates, fish and fowl follow.

The marine alga has also been valued as a soil amendment for centuries, and more recently as crop biostimulants. The Maine Department of Marine Resources reports that commercial  has more than tripled over the past 20 years. Rockweed grows back following harvest, with biomass recovering faster than height. This change, combined with climbing harvest pressure, has led to concern regarding the practice. Harvesters, landowners, ecologists and community scientists want to understand how cutting and removing rockweed affects the ecosystem it creates.

Read the full article at PHYS.org

Seaweed, salmon and sablefish win big in Alaska seafood competition

March 2, 2022 — The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation celebrated its final round of prizes for the annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition in Juneau Thursday, Feb. 24.

The contest for new value-added products made from Alaska seafood is designed to propel product development that diversifies markets, improves utilization and reduces fish waste.

The winners will now head to Boston for Seafood Expo North America’s Seafood Excellence Awards in March.

“For the first time, we are especially proud to say that three of the Symphony’s first place winners are in the top 10 finalists in the Seafood Excellence Awards, a national competition,” said Julie Decker, executive director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, based in Wrangell. “This demonstrates that the Alaska seafood industry is a national leader in product innovation and that the Alaska Symphony of Seafood is an excellent path to a national stage.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Report assesses Alaska communities as locations for seaweed processing facilities

February 15, 2022 — The U.S. grows less than one-hundredth of one percent of the world’s $6 billion seaweed market, but Alaska has the goods to grow into a major contributor.

A new report assesses the pros and cons of six communities as locations for seaweed processing facilities to assist companies interested in operating in Alaska. It was compiled by McKinley Research Group for the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, which has played a central role in keeping Alaska seaweed in the resource development spotlight. Many believe the fledgling industry can top revenues of $100 million in little over a decade.

The six study communities were evaluated based on three categories: availability of seaweed supply, costs of doing business, and partnership opportunities.

So far, Kodiak leads all other regions in terms of supply, energy costs, water and sewer costs, resident labor, property taxes and shipping, with Craig and Ketchikan in the Prince of Wales Island region a close second.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

 

MAINE: In the land of lobster, seaweed is finding its niche

December 7, 2021 — The annual Maine harvest of seaweed pales in comparison to lobster landings in pounds and value. Yet increasingly, lobstermen have joined other entrepreneurs in growing, harvesting and marketing Maine seaweed. Seen as another means of diversifying the state’s commercial fishing industry, it is turning into a multimillion-dollar industry and keeping in-shore fishermen busy during lobster’s off season. 

Rockweed, common along the Maine coast, accounts for about 95 percent of commercially harvested seaweed. It’s used for packing lobsters, as fertilizer and a nutritional additive for pet and livestock feed, and to extract alginate, used to thicken foods, cosmetics and even paint. 

But a smaller but growing market is for kelp, sugar kelp, dulse and Alaria, edible sea vegetables grown and harvested for nutritional and flavor supplements in a variety of foods. 

“People are recognizing its health benefits, its environmental benefits, and it tastes great,” Island Institute’s Sam Belknap said. The institute recently supported new aquaculturists, including seaweed growers, in a program for fishermen.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander