Who We Are

We are an international collective of seaweed harvesters, small-scale seaweed farmers, scientists and advocates. We believe that the seaweed aquaculture industry should be developed with a precautionary approach: conservation-minded, at an appropriate scale, and with local ownership and control. 

The Seaweed Commons was formed in 2017 in response to shared  concerns about plans for large, industrial-scale seaweed aquaculture outfits in North America and the lack of a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for the industry. As an international network of people both involved with and concerned about seaweed, we share knowledge, regional challenges and solutions and aim to inform policy around seaweed aquaculture that prioritizes and safeguards the wild seaweed ecosystem, biodiversity and coastal communities.

Our Position

As a group of seaweed harvesters, growers, scientists and advocates, we support a collaboratively managed and locally controlled seaweed industry. The Seaweed Commons supports an ecosystem-based approach to the development of the industry that is informed by research to ensure that farms are in appropriate locations, of an appropriate size, and protect biodiversity. Farms should be small-scale until knowledge gaps can be satisfactorily filled and the impact on wild coastal ecosystems and coastal communities is shown to be minimal.

Our Mission

The Seaweed Commons seeks to form ecological seaweed coalitions, support and inform public discourse, increase algal literacy, and advocate for an appropriately scaled, just seaweed economy. By providing the public with nuanced and accessible information on the politics, ecology, governance, and economy of marine algae, we aim to promote an open and informed public discourse essential to responsible decision-making and resource management.

—Updated December 2024, by Amanda Swinmer