Seaweed harvesters in the U.S. state of Maine found a way to hurdle some of the COVID-19 pandemic’s steepest obstacles and increase their production in 2020, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.
Saco, Maine, U.S.A.-based company Atlantic Sea Farms, which works with two dozen seaweed farmers in the state, said it harvested 450,000 pounds, nearly doubling its production.
Finding workers and buyers proved more rigorous in 2020 than in years past, growers said. However, they were able to continue harvesting through the pandemic and grow their retail presence along the way.
The seaweed sector, similar to much of the seafood industry, heavily depends on foodservice channels, which have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Seaweed suppliers, however, were able to quickly reconfigure their focus toward retail, saving them from a harsher fate, like that experienced by the oyster business, Maine Seaweed Council President Tollef Olson said.
“Almost all the products we put out have been stabilized,” Olson told the AP. “Some of the wholesale business definitely dropped off, but we’re seeing more shelf-space, and more online platforms.”
Harvests of farm-raised seaweed in Maine have been steadily climbing over recent years, with 2018’s crop of 50,000 pounds skyrocketing to about 275,000 pounds in 2019. Atlantic Sea Farms predicts its farmers could harvest more than 800,000 pounds in 2021.
Atlantic Sea Farms CEO Bri Warner said the industry has had to get creative in how it sells.
“Four ounces of a kelp in smoothie cubes is not the same as kelp on every salad in Sweetgreen that’s going out the door. We’re being very creative about how we sell,” Warner said. “We feel very good about being able to weather the storm.”
Sarah Redmond, an owner of Springtide Seaweed, a grower in Gouldsboro, Maine, said in some ways, the pandemic has helped the seaweed trade.
“We’ve actually seen an increase in demand for our seaweed products,” Redmond told the AP. “There’s still a demand for healthy food and healthy ingredients.”
Photo courtesy of Plateresca/Shutterstock
