Name: Why Demand For Seaweed Is About To Boom
Uploaded: 2021-05-16T14:20:02.000Z
Duration: 15 min 22 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Now, this... This might just seem like an ordinary view of the

Just below the water, thousands of shellfish and acres upon acres

Of course, people are eating oysters or clams or mussels.

But what about all that green, slimy stuff?

In fact, in America, using seaweed as food dates back to before

the beginning of the nation, when pilgrims met with Native

Americans. And, for example, we're taught about their cuisine

Yes, a traditional clambake included cooking up kelp, aside all

that shellfish. But since then, seaweed has transformed over and

over again. You can find seaweed in more than just your dinner

You know, they think, oh, it's not really food.

It's kind of that slimy stuff on the beach.

And, you know, people were really, really, really clear about

So, imagine their surprise when I said, but would you already do

Seaweed could be in your toothpaste, in your almond milk, in your

pricey moisturizer or baby food, ice cream and even your beer.

Seaweed is used in medicines and it can be used for fuel.

I think an algae-based fuel should be able to power all planes in

the world. All of this to say, the global demand for seaweed is

expanding. The commercial seaweed market could surpass $85

As for what it takes to farm seaweed, all you need is $20,000,

20 acres of water and about a single seaweed farm can net up to

No fresh water, no fertilizer, no feed make it the most

But at the same time, our crops soak up carbon, nitrogen,

So, they really become engines of restoration as we're farming

Here's what makes up the seaweed industry.

There's an estimated 10,000 different kinds of it.

It's kind of a plant, but it's not a land plant.

It's kind of of the sea, but it's not a fish.

If you think about it, you think, well, then if it's neither one

And that's what a lot of people that I would interview kind of

said to me, you know, they said, well, it's not really anything,

is it? But of course, it turns out seaweed is certainly

something. In fact, seaweed is pretty essential to the life of

the planet. Marine algae produces anywhere from 50% to 80% of

Not to mention seaweed absorbs a huge amount of carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere. It's known that seaweed has been

Nowadays, millions of sea vegetables are farmed in Asia every

year. In 2019, the Asian Pacific held over 55% share in the

commercial seaweed market because of the food industry.

But going back in American history, seaweed was a big part of

the Native American diet, too, before Western colonization.

But, somewhere along the line, Americans started to shun seaweed

But it's just been pushed out of the economy and off the plate.

Seaweed is a green vegetable that comes with its own salty

seasoning. Algae found other uses in American history.

Seaweeds were used as gunpowder in the Revolutionary War and

But, when it comes to modern aquaculture, the industry is based

on existing market demand, and that traditionally is in seaweed.

Fish farm production topped beef production in 2013 and

Americans are eating more farmed fish than wild caught globally.

Aquaculture's total farm gate sale value.

That's the value of the product itself without accounting for

selling costs like transportation or marketing, reached over

$263.6 billion that number accounts for products like fish,

crustaceans, marine algae and even pearls and seashells.

But, most of those billions are in fishing, and seaweed farmer

You know, I never expected to grow vegetables underwater.

Beautiful, huh? You know, I'm a fisherman with the high seas.

And I, you know, I'm not an environmentalist in a traditional

But, my goal is to make a living on a living planet.

I mean, there's no way I can run my farm, run my small business

unless I become a steward of the oceans and grow crops that are

Smith started out in seaweed farming after years of fishing on

the high seas and bearing witness to the degradation of the

world's oceans due to overfishing and climate change, he turned

to what he calls restorative ocean farming.

Restorative or regenerative ocean farming is growing crops that

The sort of chocolate color, that's all nitrogen.

So, our seaweeds and shellfish require zero inputs, no fresh

You know, like, I'm actually proud of it.

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