Seaweed: It’s Not Just for Sushi Anymore

Without knowing it, you might, literally, be up to your neck in seaweed; seaweed is a common ingredient in cosmetics, moisturizers, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory products, lotions, shampoos, and toothpaste.

Globally, the seaweed industry hauls in about $6 billion per year, with farmers producing more seaweed per ton than lemons and limes. Its products run the gamut in agriculture, from farm to fork; as biomass for biofuel; and in ways that help the environment to mitigate climate change.

Although Europe and Asia have outpaced the United States, seaweed farming is the fastest-growing sector of American aquaculture. Dozens of aquatic farms have taken off in New England, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska, where production has grown from 18 tons in 2017 to about 440 tons in 2021.

“I expect seaweed farming to expand in the United States so that we can consume and/or export more seaweed food products, and one day have them included in the making of biofuels,” said Caird Rexroad, ARS national program leader for aquaculture. “The United States has tremendous marine resources that could support seaweed farming.”

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