Introduce Yourself - How to Start a Kelp Farm Guided Course and Community
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Reply to this discussion to introduce yourself if you are part of the How to Start a Kelp Farm Guided Course and Community.
Let us know where you're from and what makes you want to become a kelp farmer. Feel free to add any other questions or details you'd like to share with the community.
If you haven't joined this month's guided course, you can still register here.
@lindsay_olsen Hi, my name is Jerrard, an Australian living and working in Tromsø Norway.
I currently work as a product developer for aquaculture, consult as a salmon feeding expert for Bluegrove (using hydroacoustic sensors to monitor fish swim behaviour), and also as a part time sugar kelp farmer with a new company based here in Tromsø called Oceanfood.
I have been following Green Wave for some time now, as I believe the 3D farming concept is the way forward. I hope to eventually be more involved in the kelp farming aspect, and look forward to learn of new ideas and practices already being performed by his group here.
Cheers,
Jerrard
@jerrard_willis Nice to meet you Jerrard! It sounds like some of the content we'll be covering might be a little basic given your experience, but please check out the Annual Operations courses on the Hub, you might find some of that more in-depth content on day-to-day farm setup and operations of interest. Hope you enjoy the course!
@lindsay_olsen , my name is Jurjen Kerkman , I'm from Cape Town South Africa. Call center agent by profession , open sea fisherman at heart.
Hoping to initiate a pilot project under the shadow's of our beautiful Table mountain and if successful expand from there to support and uplift the various subsistence fishing communities that are strewn around the coastline of this beautiful country and continent.
Looking forward to meeting you guys online and to learn the ropes, bell's and whistles of kelp farming and all that comes with it.
kind regards , Jurjen Kerkman
@jurjen_kerkman Hi Jurjen, nice to meet you! I've always been very impressed by the massive kelp forests surrounding Cape Town, seems like kelp thrives in those waters! Have you encountered the work of Dr. John Bolton at the University of Cape Town? He's done some impressive work regarding seaweed aquaculture in South Africa. Our course will be very US-focused, but hopefully you can take away some parallels.
@lindsay_olsen
Hi there, I'm Janine and I'm based out of Boston, MA. I learned about kelp farming from Bren's book Eat Like a Fish and I've been fascinated ever since. I grew up on the coast of Southwest CT and feel out of place not being connected to the water. I'm a software engineer by trade but my passion is in sustainability. I love the idea of growing a local economy deriving from and benefitting the water and the planet as a whole. I'm taking this class as an introduction and to see where my two worlds can mesh.
Looking forward to it!
@janine_jay Nice to meet you, Janine! Hope you enjoy the course!
@jerrard_willis Nice to meet you Jerrard! It sounds like some of the content we'll be covering might be a little basic given your experience, but please check out the Annual Operations courses on the Hub, you might find some of that more in-depth content on day-to-day farm setup and operations of interest. Hope you enjoy the course!
@jurjen_kerkman Hi Jurjen, nice to meet you! I've always been very impressed by the massive kelp forests surrounding Cape Town, seems like kelp thrives in those waters! Have you encountered the work of Dr. John Bolton at the University of Cape Town? He's done some impressive work regarding seaweed aquaculture in South Africa. Our course will be very US-focused, but hopefully you can take away some parallels.
@janine_jay Nice to meet you, Janine! Hope you enjoy the course!
@lindsay_olsen Hello, I'm Noam, I'm a graduate student in oceanography from the UK. I don't have any concrete plans to set up an aquaculture business yet, but I've been casually interested in aquaculture for a while, so I'm here for an introduction to the industry so I can work out whether this is realistic for me or not!
@lindsay_olsen
Kwe',
I am Geniene and I am from the Bay of Islands, Newfoundland & Labrador - Elmastukwek territory.
I am curious as to how Kelp Farming could be utilized in our marine-coastal areas to not only create economic gains but as an ecological restoration tool and to mitigate climate change in our region.
The local band is actively involved with the Marine Biomass Innovation project and is researching paths that can contribute to this.
Wela'lin
@geniene_mccarthy Welcome Geniene! Sounds like a neat project and a worthy cause. You might really enjoy hearing from Indigenous activist and kelp farmer Tela Troge in the live session on January 17th! Nice to meet you:)
@geniene_mccarthy
Great to see another Canadian!!
I'm interested from Saint JOhn, NB
@geniene_mccarthy Welcome Geniene! Sounds like a neat project and a worthy cause. You might really enjoy hearing from Indigenous activist and kelp farmer Tela Troge in the live session on January 17th! Nice to meet you:)
@lindsay_olsen
Greetings from Canada!
I am very happy to be here. I found my love for seaweed through an old friend of mine. I remember eating seaweed like potato chips almost everyday thereafter being introduced. My father found my love for seaweed intriguing and we have spoken about seaweed for many, many years now. I understand New Brunswick is seasonal seaweed too! Largest supplier of Dulse seaweed! I am excited to learn about what exactly I don't know about farming and learning more about myself in the journey.
Thank you for putting this course together. It is a real gift.
Kindly,
Nikki
@nikki_harmon Welcome, Nikki! Nice to meet you, and fun to hear about your connection to dulse.
@nikki_harmon
Hey Nikki. What part of NB. I'm from Saint John - recent transplant - but love everything about this blue/green project!
Strangely, I've been mouthing off to my kids for 2 years now about kelp potato chips - they finally said - so do something about it - tell me more about how yours were prepared as a kid. Thanks!!
@lindsay_olsen Hi Lindsay and all!
My wife and I are looking forward to the course and are amazed by the resource. We currently live in New York City and work in media and tech and are hoping to plan a pivot to something more intentional, hands-on, and outdoors. We are excited to meet everyone and learn about aquaculture from experts in the field.
Thanks for hosting this!
Michael
@michael_krisch Welcome Michael! Look forward to hearing what you think of the course.
@lindsay_olsen
Hello all,
My name is Lindsay and I have resided in Juneau, Alaska since 2016. I am currently a junior at the University of Alaska Southeast working towards a BS in Environmental Resources and focus my independent projects learning about kelp farming and the mariculture industry as much as possible. Mariculture and kelp farming is positioned as a huge economic opportunity for this state and I am interested in understanding how to set up responsible operations that benefit the state not just economically, but socially and environmentally as well. I am grateful for this opportunity, thank you!
@lindsay_meyer Nice to meet you, Lindsay! Always fun hearing about fellow Alaskans getting into the industry.
@lindsay_meyer Nice to meet you, Lindsay! Always fun hearing about fellow Alaskans getting into the industry.
@michael_krisch Welcome Michael! Look forward to hearing what you think of the course.
@nikki_harmon Welcome, Nikki! Nice to meet you, and fun to hear about your connection to dulse.
@lindsay_olsen
Hi, my name is Colleen and I live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I am very excited about the low-impact nature of seaweed farming, and its potential for bioremediation and supporting habitat restoration. I have spent the last decade working as an environmental educator, mariner and organic farmer. Before that, I did research on coastal ecosystems. Seaweed farming feels like a natural next step – I’m excited to learn more from the course!
@colleen_obrien Hi Colleen, where do you live on the peninsula? I was in Port Townsend for 5 years working at their marine science center. Also did organic farming out there
@lindsay_olsen
Hello,
Thank you for organizing this course, I excited to be a part of it! I am currently a coastal ecologist in Florida, specializing in water quality sensors. I will be returning to graduate school in the near future to focus on kelp farming and IMTA, with an emphasis on species selection ecology and site selection. I plan to use this course to learn more preliminary elements of what is currently going on in this field.
Sierra Greene
@lindsay_olsen
Hi, I'm Bernadette Brown-Webb from Fish Hoek, South Africa. I am involved in the SA Kelp project, which is generating evidence on the scientific and practical requirements for cultivation of SA kelp species in the Saldanha Bay region. This course will help me to better understand the theoretical and practical aspects of kelp cultivation in general and apply the learning as we go through our own testing and grow out phases.
@lindsay_olsen Hello! I'm Sean, here in Houston, planning on starting an algae farm in Galveston Bay. In the planning stage rn, would love to get a couple lines in the water. Won second place in a business plan competition for Liftoff Houston in fall 2022
@sean_carroll
Cool. I'm from New Brunswick in Canada; but in Houston for the winter - North Houston.
@sean_carroll
Hey Sean,
I sent you an email to your yahoo! I grew up in Houston but currently live in Juneau, AK. I'm really excited about your farm project in Galveston bay and would love to follow along and connect. I'm not as familiar with the type of seaweed native to that area but am really curious what you are growing, for what purpose, and the differences between that environment and colder climates. Really excited for you and hope to connect in the future!
Lindsay Meyer
@lindsay_olsen My name is Travis Beckman, and I work in sustainability engineering in the biotech industry in San Diego (though in the future I will be splitting time in between here and Rhode Island). I found out about kelp farming years ago through Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson highlighting Bren Smith's work, and I have been obsessed trying to support this growing industry ever since. I hope to one day partner with or co-own a kelp farm, but for now I am most focused on how I can help support the build up of R&D and manufacturing processes required to use kelp in food, plastics, and other industries. Thanks for creating this awesome hub and course series!
@travisb3
Sweet! This end use of product is so important!!
@lindsay_olsen
I'm near the North Coast of Finistere in Brittany, France. Recently arrived here...
As a teenage scuba diving biology student in the 80s I joked I wanted to start a free-range lobster farm... Later I got into Permaculture, so marine polyculture makes perfect sense to me.
I no longer Scuba dive but still freedive.
I'm not sure if I will ever start a kelp farm, but who knows.
I also want to say what I think that you are doing here is fucking awesome.
If you read this and you're not far send me a message!
@lindsay_olsen Hello everyone, I'm Andrew.
I'm just interested in learning more about kelp farming to see if it's something I can seriously consider getting into. Have always loved kelp and seaweed since I have a background in Japanese Studies. Hope we can all get along and work towards that kelp farm in the future
Just reposting this here since I originally posted it as its own discussion haha. Didn't see this post until after I already did that.
@lindsay_olsen
Hello, I'm Sara! I'm originally from coastal Connecticut (Norwalk) but have been living in Seattle for almost 8 years now. I've been a liveaboard on my 28' sailboat for 5 years and the experience has really deepened my love and appreciation for all things marine.
Like I'm sure many others, 'Eat Like a Fish' landed in my lap at a critical inflection point. I'm excited about this course as it brings together many of my strengths and passions.
I'm a science communicator by trade (environment and public health largely) but I have experience leading sustainability strategy and managing food production and an educational background in biological/clinical nutrition. I recently worked with EarthLab at UW where I had the opportunity to work with the Washington Ocean Acidification Center and WA SeaGrant which only motivated me further. I'm waiting to hear if I have been accepted into the Marine and Environmental Affairs grad program at the University of Washington. From this course, I hope to understand the nitty-gritty of the 'how', help build support for the 'why', and perhaps join in the operations of an existing farm or help craft supportive policies/markets in our coastal cities.
If there are any farms in Washington that could use an extra sea-worthy or processing hand, or communications support, I'd love to connect!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraadams23/
@sara_adams
On a seperate note - I've been so interested in liveaboard life - where are you docked?
@lindsay_olsen Hi! I'm Catriona, currently living in the north of Scotland. My dad was an oyster farmer on the west of Scotland and over the last few years I've been really interested in shellfish farming broadly and now kelp farming. I spent some time in BC, Canada working with oyster farmers and researched some of the challenges of climate change facing their industry. I would like to now explore the kelp farming world and how I might get involved - whether out on boats or maybe in policy. I love being out on the water and very grateful to have this course available. Thanks!
@lindsay_olsen
Hi all,
I'm currently in Portland, OR and have been passively researching and following kelp farming and greenwave for the past few years. I've made a few calls, but haven't made much action going forward with starting a farm. I'm inspired to start a kelp farm for many reasons. I love boats and being on the water for starters. I've also worked in the agricultural sector and enjoy the process of helping and fostering growth and regenerative practices in the more than human world. Learning more and more about how kelp can help the local ecosystem in addition to providing for humans in a restorative way leads me to believe that if I were to work on developing a kelp farm, at "the end of the day" I would feel proud and like my means of making a living is benificial to not only myself and others, but the environment as well.
@lindsay_olsen
Hi everyone, I'm here to learn about the seaweed industry and polyculture as a viable business for permanent liveaboard structures we are developing for open ocean use. Our websites are https://arktide.org/ and arkpad.co .
@michael_doty I love when innovation avenues converge and morph, as with this notion of living structures on the water becoming integrated with ocean farming operations. Arktide and Arkpad look promising. Better grab the ArkTidePod domain before some snarky rascals do...
@lindsay_olsen Hi, Meg here. I'm currently living in Ithaca, NY with the plan to move to Maine in the next year. I am a regenerative land farmer currently and got back into my farming after I left the West coast for land locked States. In WA I was working at a Marine Science Center and before that lived in Iceland where I went to get Masters in Coastal Marine Management.
Sea farming has been calling to me as a merger of my 2 loves for some time now. I miss the ocean immensely and want to connect back to my marine life, while still growing food and medicine. To think I could do all that AND it have a positive impact on our oceans/planet...it's a no brainer.
Ideally I would be growing for animal feed and soil amendments. My connection to land farming run deep, so working from those connections to bring kelp and its glorious nutrients back into the soil (one way or another) would bring it all full circle (again).
@lindsay_olsen
I'm based in Plymouth, UK, originally from Massachusetts. Currently I'm a marine consultant for NIRAS, but hoping to pursue a PhD in the nearish future to better understand seaweed (wild and farmed) and its relationships with community resilience. I'm happiest on or in the ocean, so I'd be delighted if one day in the future my job title was 'ocean farmer.' For now, I'm participating in the course to better understand the process of seaweed aquaculture so that I can collaborate more effectively with local seaweed farmers.
@michael_doty I love when innovation avenues converge and morph, as with this notion of living structures on the water becoming integrated with ocean farming operations. Arktide and Arkpad look promising. Better grab the ArkTidePod domain before some snarky rascals do...
@geniene_mccarthy
Great to see another Canadian!!
I'm interested from Saint JOhn, NB
@lindsay_olsen
Hello,
My name is Nam Nguyen, and I am in San Diego, California USA.
My interest in kelp farming comes from several angles.
I understand that several groups and projects have done work on reforestation, urchin mitigation, and planting. There is also a project that is working on a proof of concept, autonomous underwater vehicle-towed kelp array. I hope to contribute to the research and development of Giant Kelp farming with aspects learned in this course towards both farm design and navigating the process to create a sustainable farm.
I am extremely excited about this course and hope to connect with folks from this community.
Sincerely,
Nam Nguyen
@travisb3
Sweet! This end use of product is so important!!
@nikki_harmon
Hey Nikki. What part of NB. I'm from Saint John - recent transplant - but love everything about this blue/green project!
Strangely, I've been mouthing off to my kids for 2 years now about kelp potato chips - they finally said - so do something about it - tell me more about how yours were prepared as a kid. Thanks!!
@sara_adams
On a seperate note - I've been so interested in liveaboard life - where are you docked?
@sean_carroll
Cool. I'm from New Brunswick in Canada; but in Houston for the winter - North Houston.
@lindsay_olsen
Hi all!
I'm a recent transplant to New Brunswick, Canada. I've always been fascinated by the work done with oyster beds in preventing damage to New York City's coastline. While walking on the beach, I always wondered if the different seaweed washed up was edible and started looking online and asking locals. I found out about dulse production that is local - we are near Maine - and then heard about kelp farms online. So I was fascinated. I keep mouthing off to my kids about getting into kelp as a potato chip and they finally told me to shut up and do something about this idea. Well, I'm interested, but don't know where i fit in. I'm also open to the lab side of things - "seed" - process. THANK YOU. thank you so much for providing this opportunity, especially to connect with each other here.
@sean_carroll
Hey Sean,
I sent you an email to your yahoo! I grew up in Houston but currently live in Juneau, AK. I'm really excited about your farm project in Galveston bay and would love to follow along and connect. I'm not as familiar with the type of seaweed native to that area but am really curious what you are growing, for what purpose, and the differences between that environment and colder climates. Really excited for you and hope to connect in the future!
Lindsay Meyer
@lindsay_olsen
Hi Lindsay!
I am out of New Jersey and looking to learn if starting a kelp farm would be right for me!
I am not able to attend the live courses but was hoping to watch the recordings. Where can I find the Week 1 recording, if it is available yet?
Thanks in advance!
@victoria_rhodes I'm also in NJ, here's the link to the replays. FYI, one thing I've learned is the NJ does not yet have a regulatory process for granting permits for kelp farming. (NY and CT do). But maybe advocating for our state to get this process rolling is something that can be an outcome of this course....
@lindsay_olsen Hello, my name is Beth Putnam I'm from Casco Bay in Maine. We currently have our first growing season underway but we have had some seed lines part, so looking for any and all info. I might consider a new farm design. Thanks for putting this course together.
@beth_putnam Interested to hear more about how your seed lines came apart. Did they disintegrate or just come loose? Had your kelp begun to attach to the grow lines? How protected is the site? How far into the season did you notice the issue, and is weather a suspect?
@beth_putnam we had a major storm and my site is not that well protected from the odd direction the storm came in for this time of year. The seed lines parted where we tied in the buoys. Thinking maybe a tension issue. My lines were way too loose after the storm. My guess is the rope line (3 strand) stretched and the seed line did not. Just a guess. I was late out planting waiting for my lease to go through so the seed was not attached yet. I was able to patch up my site with extra seed. So it’s fully seeded again. Some growth will be better then no growth. Hopefully will be smoother sailing next year!
@colleen_obrien Hi Colleen, where do you live on the peninsula? I was in Port Townsend for 5 years working at their marine science center. Also did organic farming out there
@lindsay_olsen Hey there, my name is Caroline. I just recently graduated from my undergrad in San Francisco with a BS in Environmental Science and BA in Geography. I have spent the last three or so years of my education researching topics in ocean conservation, conservation agriculture, and sustainable/regenerative aquaculture from a variety of angles. I have also been exceedingly interested in understanding the future of regenerative aquaculture in California and how different tools such as mapping, data collection, and further research may aid in shaping the policy space to include conservation and restoration-minded coastal development (i.e. restorative ocean farming and means of coastal protection) in the face of massive anthropogenic pollution and climate change.
@victoria_rhodes I'm also in NJ, here's the link to the replays. FYI, one thing I've learned is the NJ does not yet have a regulatory process for granting permits for kelp farming. (NY and CT do). But maybe advocating for our state to get this process rolling is something that can be an outcome of this course....
@beth_putnam Interested to hear more about how your seed lines came apart. Did they disintegrate or just come loose? Had your kelp begun to attach to the grow lines? How protected is the site? How far into the season did you notice the issue, and is weather a suspect?
@beth_putnam we had a major storm and my site is not that well protected from the odd direction the storm came in for this time of year. The seed lines parted where we tied in the buoys. Thinking maybe a tension issue. My lines were way too loose after the storm. My guess is the rope line (3 strand) stretched and the seed line did not. Just a guess. I was late out planting waiting for my lease to go through so the seed was not attached yet. I was able to patch up my site with extra seed. So it’s fully seeded again. Some growth will be better then no growth. Hopefully will be smoother sailing next year!