Maine seaweed-farming network harvests a record 1.3 million pounds in 2024

Atlantic Sea Farms harvests mark a time of ‘tremendous expansion’ for Maine company

Atlantic Sea Farms, a Maine-based leader in farmed seaweed, has harvested a record-breaking 1.3 million pounds of farmed seaweed in the 2024 harvest season.

The company, which partners with fishing families to farm kelp in Maine, Rhode Island and Alaska, has expanded both the supply of domestic line-grown kelp, as well as the market for their traceable, regeneratively farmed products to American consumers, chefs and CPG companies since 2019. With more than 4,000 retail stores across the country carrying Atlantic Sea Farms refrigerated and frozen products, the company is expanding its presence in new regions and markets each year.

“Currently, our partner farmers are growing their existing farms and other skilled fishermen from harbors across the state are planning to incorporate kelp aquaculture into their annual business plan now and into the future,” said Atlantic Sea Farms Kelp Supply Director Liz MacDonald about the increased interest in growing kelp from Maine’s fishing community. “Kelp farming keeps commercial vessels and crew active on the water in slower seasons and keeps cash flow in coastal communities stimulating local businesses, schools and important working waterfront infrastructure.”

Founded with a focus on bolstering fishermen’s incomes in the face of rapid climate change, Atlantic Sea Farms now works with 40 partner farmers across 18 communities by providing free seed, technical assistance and a buy-back guarantee for the kelp that they grow on sites they lease from the state and operate independently. Atlantic Sea Farms then turns the kelp into value-added products in its state-of-the-art processing facility.

The 2024 kelp harvest season paid over $1 million to fishing families experiencing volatility in the fisheries they have relied on for generations. Atlantic Sea Farms’ partner farmers now grow the largest supply of farmed seaweed in the United States.

Meet the woman who’s pioneering commercial kelp farming in New York

When the company started, seaweed aquaculture at scale in the United States was unproven – with only 53,500 pounds of cultivated seaweed harvested in the entire state of Maine in 2018. Now, Maine fishermen are leading the charge in growing one of the most climate-friendly foods on the planet.

“Since 2019, we have worked incredibly hard to build an industry that affords the opportunity for fishermen to be true stakeholders in creating a more resilient coastal economy and healthier ocean,” CEO Briana Warner said of the 2024 harvest. “Our terrestrial food system in the U.S. isn’t working – it’s destroying our environment, making farmers poorer and consumers less healthy. By working with fishermen and shellfish farmers, who are already strong stewards of the ocean, we are making regenerative, U.S.-farmed kelp available to consumers at scale for the first time while also expanding opportunities for our fishing communities.”

Atlantic Sea Farms manufactures and sells fermented and frozen products, available nationally at natural and conventional retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger and Albertsons, as well as specialty and seafood markets, food co-ops and other large-scale grocery outlets. Last month, Atlantic Sea Farms received the prestigious Whole Foods Market Supplier All Star of the Year award.

“We have experienced tremendous expansion this year– with increased customer awareness of traceable kelp and the growing demand for domestically farmed seaweed,” said Zoë Croft, director of sales at ASF. “Our retailer partners really see the value and potential in the regenerative industry that we are building.”

@GSA_Advocate

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