Can seaweeds be sustainably farmed for food, feed and fuel? Seaweeds have been used by humans for millennia but only began to be cultivated about 60 years ago in Asia. In Western countries recently, interest in seaweed farming has markedly increased, spurred by its use for everything from super foods to solving our planet’s climate crisis.

MBL’s Loretta Roberson and WHOI’s Scott Lindell will talk about the current state of seaweed science and farming – what are the promising facts, and what may be dubious hype? They will show examples of new tools that are being developed to support sustainable growth of the industry in the US, and discuss the opportunities and challenges of turning seaweed’s promise into reality. https://www.mbl.edu/tropical-seaweed/.

Dr. Loretta Roberson is an Associate Scientist at MBL. Her research focuses on the development of large-scale, offshore macro-algae farms and how they may be used to protect sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs.