A Super Seaweed Supper
Pioneering
Dutch enterprise sets out to put seaweed on the table.
Do you eat
seaweed? No? Are you sure? Only around sushi? Well, think again. Seaweed is found in many consumer products
from ice cream and processed foods, to vitamin supplements, toothpaste, mascara
and biofuel.
What is
more, being a sustainable crop, it reduces fresh water, land, and fertilizer
usage. This versatile and tasty resource is drawing a lot of interest in
international agricultural circles, including one prominent Dutch enterprise, The
North Sea Farm Foundation (Stichting Noordzee Boerderij). North Sea Farm have
been testing the nutrient rich waters north of Texel, with a view to getting
seaweed on more Dutch plates in the very near future.
Initially
set up by Marcel Schuttelaar, of Schuttelaar & Partners, the foundation launched
a proof of concept mission last November. Using two different growing platforms
(one static, one flexible) and two varieties of edible kelp, they set out with
the purpose of discovering whether the rough North Sea was suitable for this
kind of offshore agriculture.
This month’s
first successful harvest seems to indicate that it does. Having laid 10 m of
line in the hopes of growing 1 kg of usable product, they ended up with 15 kg!
Koen van
Swam, of North Sea Farm, told Dutch News that the partly crowdfunded project was
now heading towards scaling up. The June crop is being independently tested for
nutritional value and consumer safety and a second harvest is planned for
October.
Harmony and Collaboration
Seaweed
cultivation can work in harmony with both nature and existing offshore industries
like fisheries, sea energy and conservation. It is a challenging spot to cultivate
with waves that vary in size from 1m to a whopping 6m, which can sometimes make
access to the platforms difficult. However,
unlike more sheltered European growing areas (for instance in Norway and The
Shetlands) the North Sea offers real space to spread out.
‘This is
really pioneering’ said, van Swam. ‘If we can grow it here, we can grow it
anywhere!’
He went on
to explain that this industry offers the chance for entrepreneurs from many
traditionally strong Dutch trades, such as maritime transport, fishing, mussel
farming and agrofood, to collaborate. North Sea Farm expects to help create
jobs and offer fantastic growth potential for all partners across the supply
chain.
This year
the global seaweed market for human consumption was estimated at nearly $
6 million (USD). The Dutch Government are conducting research of their own and
have estimated that there is scope for up to 400 km2 of seaweed fields off the
Dutch North coast by 2050, with no discernible negative impact. Seaweed is
regularly used by fish as a nursery, so the impact could in fact be a positive
one.
North Sea
Farm is equally ambitious as they set out to raise in the region of € 400,000 for
expansion, hoping the green initiative’s early success will encourage new
investors. That amount would allow them to grow 5,000-10,000 kg of seaweed by
next season. If they’re successful
then you will be needing a copy of the seaweed cook book they’re working on, as
it seems highly likely that this nutritious new superfood could be coming to a
Dutch dining room near you, very soon.
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