Algae and the Evolving World

Introduction to the world of seaweed!

Seaweed farming has taken the media by storm, building a name for itself as a tool for reaching the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a sustainable way to produce healthy food for coastal communities, and an economic diversification tool for fishing communities facing the impacts of climate change. While the focus on seaweed and ways to cultivate it may seem like a recent development to us here in Maine, seaweed aquaculture has been evolving into the industry that we see today for hundreds of years.

In this unit we introduce seaweed in a biological, historical, and socio-economic context to understand why seaweed aquaculture is an important growing sector in the marine economy today.