Investor Looking to Team Up for a Farm or Hatchery
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Hello all,
My name is Cara Klein, I live in Northern CA (Bay Area), and for years now, I have been very interested in seaweed farming (ideally regenerative farming with mixed kelp and shellfish). I am not in the industry at all, at least not yet. I am a psychiatrist by training, and although this is my profession now, I am looking to get into seaweed farming and make that my primary source of income in a few years.
Anyhow, I am looking at the options for CA, and the permitting process and expenses look daunting and flat out prohibitive (at least to take on by myself right now). This has led me to consider alternatives, such as: perhaps focusing on opening a hatchery or teaming up with a local farmer as an investor and supporter.
Anyone out there who wants to team up? Or anyone who is in Northern CA and wants to grab coffee and discuss our options up here?
@cara_klein13
Hi there I am in a similar situation in that I have a job now (winemaker) but am looking at involvement in the kelp farming. I am hoping to connect with some people already in the game, but I would be interested to connect and compare notes. It seem like it might be a team effort to get something going up here.
Alexkongsgaard@gmail.com
@alex_kongsgaard Great! Just sent you an email and we can coordinate.
@cara_klein13 I’m in WA so probably not a candidate for what you want to do but I can share my experience with you if there is interest. See www.pacificseafarms.com for more info. There are a few videos posted if you want to check those.
@mike_spranger Thank you! Truly appreciate it.
@mike_spranger Thanks for the props, Cara. We at Pacific Sea Farms are pretty far along but just recently went to court (actually it was a hearing) as a group filed an appeal to try to prevent us from securing our permit. The hearing (7 days, 10 witnesses, 100+ exhibits, lawyers, etc) went well for us. Now we’re awaiting the decision by the Shorelines Hearing Board. Feel free to reach out if you want any more info about the process.
@cara_klein13 Because we seem to be lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to permitting macro-algae aquaculture I have gone in to Kelp Restoration instead of kelp farming. Harvesting kelp from California's wild forests could be enough to sustain an industry and commercial kelp harvesting permits are not very hard to get. But as you may already know we've lost 95% of our kelp forests to over grazing from purple urchin meaning that most areas are closed to commercial harvest but even if they were there's barely anything to harvest. It's a dire situation, one that the State managers seem to be incapable of recognizing or unable to respond to. The best we can do right now is create a market for local purple urchin. But there's challenges to this as well, you see once the urchins have decimated the kelp forests they go into a dormant state during which they consume their energy reserves, or uni, rendering the useless to human consumption. I'm looking for a partner in an urchin "ranching" venture. Eventually we'll want to grow our own kelp for this project. I see it as a stepping stone to eventually creating an industry for sustainable marine autotrophic polyculture.
@ricardo_romerogianoli @cara_klein13 This is an amazing idea. Kelp forests are a critical ecosystem for marine species, and creating a market for purple urchins would be a large step toward restoring kelp forests. I am interested in this preliminary project/venture proposal and would love to learn more about your goals.
@ricardo_romerogianoli, I am thoroughly intrigued! I'd love to find a time to chat through this further. Look out for an email from me.
@ricardo_romerogianoli @benjamin_narwold14 @frank_buncomiv
This is amazing, I am so looking forward to exploring this further. Would love to set up a time to talk. My email is carolina.klein@gmail.com, if it's easier to coordinate through there.
@ricardo_romerogianoli
Hi there.
I have had my eye on the urchin ranching idea also. Let’s connect and chat. I have gathered up a few leads on people and organizations already working on this. Alexkongsgaard@gmaail.com.
@cara_klein13 My name is Ben Narwold. I live in Davis, California. I am graduating from UC Davis in June with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management. I am interested in regenerative farming with mixed kelp and would be interested in connecting to learn more about your interests and goals in this space. I have spent the last year researching the water quality impacts of floating photovoltaics, specifically the impacts on algae. Broadly, I am interested in transitioning into the regenerative farming space. Feel free to reach out via email (bpnarwold@ucdavis.edu).
@benjamin_narwold14 Great! Just sent you an email
@ricardo_romerogianoli @cara_klein13 This is an amazing idea. Kelp forests are a critical ecosystem for marine species, and creating a market for purple urchins would be a large step toward restoring kelp forests. I am interested in this preliminary project/venture proposal and would love to learn more about your goals.
@cara_klein13 I am a seaweed Farmer in Humboldt bay. We are in operation, permitted and outplanted. We are tiny and scrappy but hoping to grow. I will be in the bay are for a few days, in a few days, lets get coffee!
@mica_oherlihy I am from Arcata, CA! I was just up there last week for spring break. I would love to connect and learn more about your operation.
@mica_oherlihy OMG would love to!! I only saw one farm in Humboldt Bay, associated with the university. Please tell me I did not miss your visit to the Bay, coffee is on me! Tell me when. If it's easier to coordinate, my email is carolina.klein@gmail.com
@mica_oherlihy I am from Arcata, CA! I was just up there last week for spring break. I would love to connect and learn more about your operation.
@cara_klein13 I'm in WA but started with the idea myself when I was in the Bay Area for 15 years. Would love to connect and compare notes. I've met a few of the folks up in the PNW and esp. in B.C there is a lot more traction. I think forming a syndicate of sorts to help the industry along would be amazing, esp. b/c startup costs are generally not as prohibitive compared to some other types of industries (Really in this industry to your point it's the long lag times in various permitting and regulatory)
@aaron_huang Oooooh I hadn't even thought of that, thank you! Would love to compare notes. My email is carolina.klein@gmail.com if it's easier to connect and coordinate a chat through there.
Hi @cara_klein13, great to see your message and the positive responses you've received thus far! I've put together a small team in San Diego called Salt & Earth Farm hoping to make headway in the CA commercial permitting process while eyeing smaller, opportunistic ventures to begin making an impact. I'd love to chat about how we might be able to collaborate in some capacity. Talk soon!
@frank_buncomiv Absolutely, I already scheduled a meet with you and so looking forward to it!
@ricardo_romerogianoli, I am thoroughly intrigued! I'd love to find a time to chat through this further. Look out for an email from me.
@alex_kongsgaard Great! Just sent you an email and we can coordinate.
@mike_spranger Thank you! Truly appreciate it.
@ricardo_romerogianoli @benjamin_narwold14 @frank_buncomiv
This is amazing, I am so looking forward to exploring this further. Would love to set up a time to talk. My email is carolina.klein@gmail.com, if it's easier to coordinate through there.
@benjamin_narwold14 Great! Just sent you an email
@mica_oherlihy OMG would love to!! I only saw one farm in Humboldt Bay, associated with the university. Please tell me I did not miss your visit to the Bay, coffee is on me! Tell me when. If it's easier to coordinate, my email is carolina.klein@gmail.com
@aaron_huang Oooooh I hadn't even thought of that, thank you! Would love to compare notes. My email is carolina.klein@gmail.com if it's easier to connect and coordinate a chat through there.
@frank_buncomiv Absolutely, I already scheduled a meet with you and so looking forward to it!
@ricardo_romerogianoli
Hi there.
I have had my eye on the urchin ranching idea also. Let’s connect and chat. I have gathered up a few leads on people and organizations already working on this. Alexkongsgaard@gmaail.com.
@cara_klein13 I'm in OR, but have been looking into the regulations for kelp farming for the whole west coast. I definitely felt that the CA regulations were prohibitive and shifted to looking into what it would take to open a kelp seed hatchery. This looks a lot less prohibitive to start up and I would be interested in talking with anyone who's trying to start this type of business.
@melissa_keith60 Hi Melissa,
Definitely, let's chat! I think we will have to be creative in our approach given the regulatory and financial barriers that are currently in place (and not bound to change any time soon). Might be easier to coordinate a call through email- feel free to reach me at carolina.klein@gmail.com. Talk soon!
@mike_spranger Thanks for the props, Cara. We at Pacific Sea Farms are pretty far along but just recently went to court (actually it was a hearing) as a group filed an appeal to try to prevent us from securing our permit. The hearing (7 days, 10 witnesses, 100+ exhibits, lawyers, etc) went well for us. Now we’re awaiting the decision by the Shorelines Hearing Board. Feel free to reach out if you want any more info about the process.
@melissa_keith60 Hi Melissa,
Definitely, let's chat! I think we will have to be creative in our approach given the regulatory and financial barriers that are currently in place (and not bound to change any time soon). Might be easier to coordinate a call through email- feel free to reach me at carolina.klein@gmail.com. Talk soon!