The Swamp Stomp
Volume 17, Issue 39
A team of undergraduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are working on a proposal to build a more resilient economy and ecology on the coast of North Carolina using a versatile yet humble marine organism; macro-algae, also known as seaweed. Their plan involves starting a seaweed aquaculture farm near the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina, that would grow seaweed in the shallow waters off the coast using a low cost system of ropes, scaffolding and buoys that can be hoisted from the ocean to harvest the crop when it is mature.
Eliza Harrison, one of the four members of the team, said that the project aims to address multiple problems simultaneously. Chief among these is how to feed a growing planet with fewer resources; experts say that by midcentury, the planet’s human population could reach nine to ten billion people who will have to be fed using less agricultural land, water, fertilizers and pesticides than in the past if we are to avoid a dramatic increase in the degradation of earth’s already besieged natural areas.
Seaweed poses a unique solution to this problem in that it requires virtually no inputs to grow, does not take up space on land that could be used for other purposes, and is nutritionally rich in protein, vitamins A and B-12, calcium and iodine, among others. “So much of the ocean is underutilized” said Harrison in an interview, “seems like a no-brainer to waste all that space, it has such potential.” While it may seem odd to many Westerners unaccustomed to the marine vegetable to propose seaweed as a solution to global hunger, the reality is that it is already used in a variety of products that we use daily, from toothpaste to cosmetic products to pharmaceuticals to, of course, sushi.
Which points to the second issue the project aims to address, that of bringing jobs and a vibrant economy via seaweed aquaculture to the towns and cities of North Carolina that have historically relied upon fishing as a primary economic activity. As fishing stocks the world over have been overharvested and in some cases collapsed, fishing communities have felt the pinch as formerly stable jobs in the industry have shriveled up.
The seaweed market, however, is vast and in demand as an important ingredient in beauty products, in medicine as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, in grocery stores and restaurants as food items, in the renewable energy sector as a biofuel, and as a methane reducing feed for livestock. Given Harrison’s estimate that one aquaculture farm could provide four permanent and five to eight seasonal jobs, if scaled up, seaweed production could represent a sustainable boom for North Carolina’s economy.
Finally, seaweed serves multiple ecological functions including providing habitat for small fish and crustaceans, reducing the severity of wave action and storm surge during hurricanes, and sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. Indeed, a study found that if scaled up, seaweed aquaculture could have the capacity to absorb 1,500 tons of CO2 km2 year, enough to absorb the annual carbon emissions of 300 Chinese citizens.
Harrison and her team’s project, which was a finalist in this year’s National Geographic Chasing Genius contest for innovative ideas to address global problems, is currently pursuing funding for the project from the UNC School of Public Health, among other sources.
Source: Duarte, Carlos M. et al. “Can Seaweed Farming Play a Role in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation?” Frontiers in Marine Science. 12 April 2017. Web. 18 September 2017.