The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Deborah Bronk is the president and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.
From Eastport to Biddeford, a new kind of farming is transforming Maine’s working waterfronts. Seaweed farming, one of the fastest growing forms of aquaculture, is no longer a niche idea. It’s a serious agricultural sector with growing demand, measurable environmental benefits, and real opportunity to enhance rural prosperity. And Maine is leading the charge.
As with any emerging sector, seaweed farming faces growing pains. Behind the scenes, producers are navigating operational and financial challenges. These pressures reflect the very real risks coastal entrepreneurs are taking and reinforce the need for stronger investment in research, infrastructure, and industry support. Just as early land-based farmers once needed help to stabilize and scale, so too do today’s ocean farmers who are navigating a new frontier.
That urgency is reflected in recent federal and state reports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2024 Seaweed and Seagrass Aquaculture Report, mandated by Congress and facilitated by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, outlines how seaweed farming can advance national goals around food security, rural development, and biobased manufacturing. But it also warns that the U.S. lacks the research infrastructure, farming systems, and commercialization tools needed to realize that potential.
The Maine Aquaculture Roadmap echoes this call: seaweed farmers need the same science-based support that land-based agriculture has received for generations. Other reports, including the Maine Innovation Economy Action Plan and Blue Economy Task Force recommendations, urge policymakers to invest in the growth of saltwater agriculture and expand domestic markets for seaweed-based products. Maine already grows more seaweed than any other state, and demand is rising for uses in food, animal feed, biostimulants for traditional agriculture, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. Farmers are eager to do more, but they need modern tools and research-driven support to scale sustainably.
At Bigelow Laboratory, we’re working with public and private partners to help provide those tools. We have proposed establishing a Seaweed Farming Innovation Laboratory, a national center of excellence for seaweed aquaculture research, innovation, and commercialization. It will build on Bigelow Laboratory’s world-class science and $33 million Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation, while complementing the incredible work underway at the University of Maine, the Maine Aquaculture Association, and other leaders in this field.
The Innovation Laboratory will support seed banking, crop quality testing, spatial planning, and product innovation, directly addressing the infrastructure and knowledge gaps outlined in federal and state strategies. It also lays the groundwork for a formal research partnership with USDA to ensure seaweed farming is recognized and supported as a core component of American agriculture.
The Maine Aquaculture Association, a national leader in the field, noted in its Seaweed Benchmarking Study that the sector’s continued growth depends on investment in innovation, scale, and technical support. The Seaweed Farming Innovation Laboratory is designed to deliver exactly that, creating tools for farmers, insights for policymakers, and long-term value for Maine’s coastal communities.
Maine has the farmers. We have the science. We have the opportunity. Let’s match it with the investment and policy support needed to lead the next chapter of American agriculture — from the water up!
