Interest in growing...and eating kelp…has spiked in Connecticut. But farmers in the state are not yet turning a profit on the burgeoning industry.
For one, some people are grossed out by the seaweed and what lurks in Long Island Sound waters with it.
But Anoushka Concepcion, an aquaculture researcher at Connecticut Sea Grant, sees a viable future for kelp.
“It’s this huge, lengthy permitting process that determines the best growing area not only for food safety but to reduce user conflicts for kelp. So what you buy from a farmer is not only nutritious, but it is safe to eat.”
Concepcion spoke on WSHU’s The Full Story.
She says seaweed helps filter contaminants from the ocean and is packed with nutrients but acknowledges that the state lacks the infrastructure needed to help process kelp.