Can i grow sugar kelp at a greater depth than 5 feet?
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in order to maintain proper water temperature?
i live in New Jersey (in exile from New England but that’s neither here nor there) and in speaking with the Dept of Agriculture and the Sea Grant association have learned that there is no formal permitting process because the waters off NJ are considered too hot for sugar kelp.
however, they are open to a trial permit but cautioned that the water may be too warm. Has anyone experimented with growing kelp in deeper water? I’m wondering if I could do that to keep it in colder water, but recognize that the trade off in sunlight penetration may preclude it.
thanks!
@zachary_potter
I find this really interesting. I'm also looking into kelp farming in NJ. I'm in Monmouth county. I've gotten the same feedback that there is no formal permit in action but my understanding was that they were open to it, they themselves just haven't invested in it. I also got the impression that because of this it might be easier to get grant money should you partner with another science based org who's interested in local kelp production/ ocean ecology in NJ.
The other point I find odd is that there's abundant kelp farms off of Long Island....are our waters really that different? Curious to know.
@taylor_barry
thanks for the reply! That’s funny you’re in Monmouth - my in-laws have a place in Long Branch and i was thinking about that area for this.
yeah i got the same impression about permits- they’re not opposed, they just don’t have a process yet.
as for Long Island Sound, i asked the same thing! And the team at Sea Grants said that’s about as far south as sugar kelp can be grown.
Great minds think alike! I’ll get back to you here as i learn more. Or maybe someone else in the community will know something we don’t!
@taylor_barry in addition to temperature considerations, access to a seed source is critically important. In most areas where kelp is grown in the U.S., farmers have to source seed either from within the borders of the state (waters), or from within a certain distance from their farm sites. There may be some populations in waters of NJ (I've heard of some refugia offshore), but generally Long Island is considered the southern extent of the range on the U.S. east coast. Maybe Monmouth County, N.J. is still within that range? @Scott_Lindell and researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have been leading some research looking into heat tolerant kelp strains and possibilities for extending the range for kelp cultivation farther south (beyond NY). Oyster farms in Barnegat Bay might be good fit for that sort of pilot.
@taylor_barry , @zachary_potter
Our lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic tried to team up with an oyster farm in Barnegat Bay that was interested in trying to grow kelp on its lease. It proved to be too complicated to change their lease to allow adding kelp lines. Some of the State marine resource officers did not want to encourage such new activity. I don't think temperature would have been a limiting issue. As long as you wait until the waters drop to less than 60 F and harvest before they rise above that, and provided that there is enough nutrients and light, yields should be decent. Kendall is right, we are working on selecting natural strains that are more temperature tolerant so maybe farmers can plant earlier and harvest later - or at least stay ahead of our climate changed and warming oceans.
@scott_lindell @kendall_barbery thank you so much for this insight. I was warned by a biologist on staff at Dept. of Ag that if I wanted to go through with this in NJ it was going to be an uphill battle. It feels silly not to try after we've seen how beneficial seaweed production is on so many levels. Will keep you all updated as we go on this journey with the state.
Personally I am interested in growing alongside oysters and using the kelp as a fertilizer for crops as well as to incorporate it into salt blocks for cattle licks. I'm a flower farmer by day and itching to farm both land and sea. And hopefully convince some of my colleagues of its benefits along the way.
@taylor_barry
thanks for the reply! That’s funny you’re in Monmouth - my in-laws have a place in Long Branch and i was thinking about that area for this.
yeah i got the same impression about permits- they’re not opposed, they just don’t have a process yet.
as for Long Island Sound, i asked the same thing! And the team at Sea Grants said that’s about as far south as sugar kelp can be grown.
Great minds think alike! I’ll get back to you here as i learn more. Or maybe someone else in the community will know something we don’t!
@taylor_barry in addition to temperature considerations, access to a seed source is critically important. In most areas where kelp is grown in the U.S., farmers have to source seed either from within the borders of the state (waters), or from within a certain distance from their farm sites. There may be some populations in waters of NJ (I've heard of some refugia offshore), but generally Long Island is considered the southern extent of the range on the U.S. east coast. Maybe Monmouth County, N.J. is still within that range? @Scott_Lindell and researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have been leading some research looking into heat tolerant kelp strains and possibilities for extending the range for kelp cultivation farther south (beyond NY). Oyster farms in Barnegat Bay might be good fit for that sort of pilot.
@taylor_barry , @zachary_potter
Our lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic tried to team up with an oyster farm in Barnegat Bay that was interested in trying to grow kelp on its lease. It proved to be too complicated to change their lease to allow adding kelp lines. Some of the State marine resource officers did not want to encourage such new activity. I don't think temperature would have been a limiting issue. As long as you wait until the waters drop to less than 60 F and harvest before they rise above that, and provided that there is enough nutrients and light, yields should be decent. Kendall is right, we are working on selecting natural strains that are more temperature tolerant so maybe farmers can plant earlier and harvest later - or at least stay ahead of our climate changed and warming oceans.
@scott_lindell @kendall_barbery thank you so much for this insight. I was warned by a biologist on staff at Dept. of Ag that if I wanted to go through with this in NJ it was going to be an uphill battle. It feels silly not to try after we've seen how beneficial seaweed production is on so many levels. Will keep you all updated as we go on this journey with the state.
Personally I am interested in growing alongside oysters and using the kelp as a fertilizer for crops as well as to incorporate it into salt blocks for cattle licks. I'm a flower farmer by day and itching to farm both land and sea. And hopefully convince some of my colleagues of its benefits along the way.
@zachary_potter Hi, any updates! In the same boat as you.
@emily_dalgauer5220 unfortunately I haven't had as much time as I hoped to explore this , but from what I gathered from the NJ Sea Grant Consortium, it would perhaps be possible to site kelp in NJ waters and either only plant/harvest when the water is below 60 F OR site it deeper than the standard 5 ft in colder water.
They did provide the attached reports. I haven't been able to fully parse them myself yet. Good luck - and please let me know if you find success!
GLOBAL SEAWEED NEW AND EMERGING MARKETS REPORT 2023OceanApproved_KelpManualnoaa_36147_DS1
@emily_dalgauer5220 unfortunately I haven't had as much time as I hoped to explore this , but from what I gathered from the NJ Sea Grant Consortium, it would perhaps be possible to site kelp in NJ waters and either only plant/harvest when the water is below 60 F OR site it deeper than the standard 5 ft in colder water.
They did provide the attached reports. I haven't been able to fully parse them myself yet. Good luck - and please let me know if you find success!
GLOBAL SEAWEED NEW AND EMERGING MARKETS REPORT 2023OceanApproved_KelpManualnoaa_36147_DS1