Seaweed – a great promise or threat to the environment?
Despite growing global enthusiasm for seaweed cultivation, both as a business opportunity and an environmental benefit, the real track record of the industry is decidedly mixed. In this article, I explore a few recent cases where the intended benefits of seaweed didn’t materialize, and some where it actually generated unexpected damage. While these examples do not invalidate the potential of seaweed farming, it does demonstrate that inappropriate practices can destroy the very ecosystems that growers hope to enhance and create rippling effects on local communities and livelihoods across the supply chain.
Seaweed invades local ecosystems, destroying economies and leaving residents hopeless.
“The Great Huki” refers to the $3.4 million effort to employ volunteers and resources to Hawaii’s Maunalua Bay in 2010 to remove 3 million pounds of leather mudweed and a seaweed called gorilla ogo.[1] Prior to that, in 2005, the Nature Conservancy developed a device called the “super sucker” to vacuum “smothering seaweed” (also known as kappaphycus alvarezii) out of the Hawaiian waters at a rate of 800 pounds of seaweed per hour. The invasive seaweed had been smothering coral reefs and destroying native algae and seagrasses, which play critical roles in protecting aquatic animals and driving local economies dependent on fish and tourism. What was the cause of this? In 1974, scientists introduced the “smothering seaweed” to this region as part of a failed experiment to extract carrageenan – a thickening substance used as an additive in the food industry.[2]
On a similar note, kappaphycus alvarezii was introduced to the coastal waters of Tamil Nadu, India as part of a project sponsored by global conglomerate PepsiCo in 2000[3]. PepsiCo India partnered with India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to implement a pilot program for the cultivation of seaweed for carrageenan. While the economic benefits of seaweed cultivation proved extremely promising for India, the introduction of the alien species of seaweed caused an invasion of the coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, destroying local ecosystems. PepsiCo sold its seaweed business to a local processor in 2008, stating the project had served its corporate social responsibility initiatives[4], but did not reference the unintended environmental harms of the project.
Where is the disconnect?
In both cases presented, there was a considerable lack of planning and tools in place to appropriately assess the environmental impact of the introduction of the seaweed species to these regions[5]. Additionally, there were no monitoring mechanisms in place to measure the impact of seaweed after it was introduced, which led to the “silent” invasion of the species within the local ecosystems.
With over 12,000 different species of seaweed in existence across the globe, there are several ecological considerations that dictate whether a particular species of seaweed will be compatible with the aquatic organisms in an ecosystem. Even when a seaweed species is farmed in an appropriate setting, there are a number of other factors that must be learned to create efficiencies in seaweed production as well as synergies with ecosystems. For example, a seaweed farm’s proximity to shore (i.e. near-shore or off-shore farming) has implications on scalability of seaweed farms, nutrient preservation, ecosystem restoration, and more.
In short, it’s the responsibility of large industry players to conduct critical environmental and community impact assessments before introducing a force, such as seaweed, that has the potential to bring severe harm to aquatic ecosystems, and those whose livelihoods depend on them. Likewise, it’s important that seaweed farmers, and players across the seaweed value chain, are equipped with the education and resources required to farm efficiently and responsibly.
Toward a future of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the seaweed industry.
There are a number of key players in the seaweed space that are working to share best practices and build the environmental case for seaweed use. For example, GreenWave is working to provide education, training and resources to ocean farmers looking to scale aquaculture responsibly in the US. Even Cargill, who has been the subject of criticism by many environmentalists, has initiated its “Red Seaweed Promise,” which takes a systemic approach to empowering seaweed producers and strengthening coastal economies. It will take continued collaboration across the food and environmental industries to drive the sustainable and responsible growth of global seaweed production.
About the Author
Divya Kantamneni recently received her MBA from Fuqua, with a dual concentration in Strategy and Social Entrepreneurship. Prior to Fuqua, she worked in nonprofit fundraising and development, White House logistics for the Obama Administration, and policymaking for a rideshare startup. Divya is currently working as a strategy consultant in the nonprofit sector.
[1] “The Great Huki Project”. Malama Maunalua. Accessed April 29, 2020. http://www.malamamaunalua.org/habitat-restoration/the-great-huki/.
[2] Eagle, Nathan. “A Growing Threat to Hawaii’s Coral Reefs- Invasive Algae”. Honolulu Civil Beat. September 2017. Accessed April 29, 2020. https://www.civilbeat.org/2017/09/a-growing-threat-to-hawaiis-coral-reefs-invasive-algae/.
[3] “Choking the Corals.” Fountain Ink Magazine. Accessed April 29, 2020. https://fountainink.in/reportage/choking-the-corals.
[4] Choking the Corals.” Fountain Ink Magazine. Accessed April 29, 2020. https://fountainink.in/reportage/choking-the-corals.
[5] Jishnu, Latha. “Curious case of seaweed”. Down to Earth Magazine. Accessed April 29, 2020. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/curious-case-of-seaweed-39207