Seaweed has been eaten by humans since prehistoric times, by cultures around the globe. Although it used to be extremely significant as a food source and resource in the early Americas, our taste for it ebbed over time. Fortunately, this unique and nutritional food has been making a comeback across the country over the past couple of decades, thanks to the sustainable food movement, popular health trends, and traditional food revitalization. The modern world’s attention is now intensely focused on seaweed: kelp is the new kale and dulse is the new bacon! There are approximately 10,000 known species of seaweed around the world, and about 250 which grow in the Gulf of Maine alone. Many of the country’s choice species flourish along the Atlantic coast north of Cape Cod, meaning Maine’s natural resources are in higher demand than ever before.
The grassroots nature of Maine’s seaweed industry has kept it in check, with harvesters having a big stake in the long-term sustainability of it. Like lobstering, Maine seaweed harvesting has its own culture and tradition, which is a huge part of sustainability. Strong communities and people who are invested in the long-term health of their natural resources are crucial to the industry’s continued success, especially in the face of burgeoning demand.
An Aroostook County native, Micah Woodcock developed a passion for seaweed while apprenticing with longtime seaweed harvester, Larch Hanson, in Steuben, ME. Micah struck out on his own to harvest seaweed and started Atlantic Holdfast—a small company working to sustainably hand-harvest high quality sea vegetables from Penobscot Bay. Atlantic Holdfast harvests and tends seaweed colonies centered amongst the outer islands of the bay, where the strong currents, active surf, and full exposure to the open ocean have allowed communities to thrive for millenia. Currently, Micah is one of Maine’s handful of harvesters of wild seaweeds.
During the eight-month harvest season from March to November, the seaweed harvest is guided by the lunar cycle, occurring at all hours of day and night as determined by the tides, which will rise and fall as much as 13 feet in 6 hours. During this eight-month season, Micah lives in a simple cabin on a tiny island off Maine’s midcoast on one of the ledgiest sections of shoreline (which is a precarious location for boats but spells heaven for many species of seaweed, which need to attach to rocks close enough to the surface to obtain sunlight). He uses small boats to access the kelp beds and exposed ledges from which he harvest, and works quickly during the brief windows of time when access is permitted by the receding tide. They work carefully within this turbulent environment, selectively cutting each variety with specific techniques developed to ensure the long-term health of this unique ecosystem. Most days, he visits the surrounding ledges and islets at low tide, fills his boat with seaweed, returns to the island, and hangs his harvest on clotheslines to dry. Within 24-36 hours, it dries (losing about 90% of its weight in water) and stiffens, transforming the product into its shelf stable form.
The islands in this region served as seasonal camps and villages for the native Wabanaki communities of the greater region for thousands of years, who came to pursue the abundance of the sea. This pattern of use continued for hundreds of years after European settlers were first attracted to the islands for their proximity to rich fishing grounds in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the year round communities here are dependent on marine harvesting for livelihood and subsistence to this day.
Maintaining the sustainability of the seaweed harvest is a delicate balance. Woodcock prioritizes being a responsible steward of this common resource and might not revisit a ledge for several years, depending on how long the species takes to regrow. Seaweed harvesting is regulated by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and a license is required to harvest any amount for commercial purposes. Harvesters must report when, where, and how much they harvest, along with the techniques used to harvest, and the end-use of the seaweed. An individual may collect up to 50 wet pounds a day for personal use without a license (which is about enough to fill a 5-gallon bucket). Informal boundaries and territories also exist among commercial harvesters to prevent over-harvest.
Up to 95% of the seaweed harvested in Maine in a given year is “rockweed” (Ascophyllum nodosum), which is primarily used as food for plants and animals. The richness of minerals found in seaweed is why many farmers use rockweed as a fertilizer for plants or as fodder for their animals. The other 5-10% of seaweeds harvested in Maine includes species such as kombu, wakame, nori, Irish moss and others.
Seaweed hyper-accumulates the trace minerals in ocean water and makes them available to us in dietary form. It’s nutrient-dense and packed with essential minerals (iodine, calcium, iron, magnesium), vitamins (A, C, K), and antioxidants, and offers benefits like improved thyroid function, heart health, digestive wellness, and reduced inflammation. Particularly valuable are minerals such as manganese and iodine, which can be hard to find in a modern Western diet. Seaweed is also high in fiber and low in calories, which both support weight management and gut health. That said, seaweeds can also absorb heavy metals from the water, which is another reason why sourcing from responsible harvesters and seaweed farmers collecting or growing from clean water is extremely important.
The Blue Hill Co-op is proud to carry a number of seaweed products sourced from local and sustainable seaweed suppliers, such as Atlantic Holdfast. You can find bags of Atlantic Holdfast’s products—such as Seaweed Soup Mix (2oz), Irish Sea Moss (2oz), and Kombu (2oz)—in our grocery department. Additionally, the Cafe is now bottling Atlantic Holdfast Irish Sea Moss Gel, which can be found in the cooler at the back of the store, in the refrigerated Wellness section alongside the probiotics. Sea moss gel is a natural, nutrient-rich product derived from sea moss. Some people mix it with water to make a puree that they take by the spoonful or add to a smoothie. The gel has a texture similar to aloe vera, and it tastes a bit like clams or oysters. Like all seaweeds, sea moss is high in minerals such as iodine, potassium, calcium, as well as vitamins and protein.
Sources:
Handcrafted Maine: Art, Life, Harvest, and Home (A book by Katy Kelleher featuring lively profiles of more than twenty artists, artisans, and craftspeople at work in the woods, towns, and cities of Maine, celebrating the triumphs and challenges of entrepreneurship and independence—including Micah Woodcock of Atlantic Holdfast)
Lomartire S, Marques JC, Gonçalves AMM. An Overview to the Health Benefits of Seaweeds Consumption. Mar Drugs. 2021 Jun 15;19(6):341. doi: 10.3390/md19060341. PMID: 34203804; PMCID: PMC8232781.
