Jake Perry 

Project 2

For my journal 7 I chose Portland Maine as my point of interest. The technology that I chose that I know would be beneficial, would be seaweed, more specifically, kelp. It’s the ultimate carbon forest. The pros out way the cons without a doubt. Kelp farming has been going on around the world and the purpose of the kelp differs depending on who’s growing it. China is the largest kelp farming country in the world at the moment. They are growing kelp more for the capitalistic gains rather than for the environmental benefits of it. There is a certain kind of algae that grows on kelp, and that algae is used in 66% of the products that come from china. It is used in fertilizer, beauty products, ice cream, paint, etc. (fronteirsin.org) These footprints are huge and I was unable to find a way to figure out just how much a footprint this was leaving behind. The important thing is that thats not the side of kelp I want to be focusing on. 

The side I want to be focusing on is what they are doing with kelp farms on the west coast of the US. Turns out that kelp is actually the a natural carbon sink. Scientists out in California have found that kelp is actually extremely beneficial to waters with a high acidification. Oceans get that from having too much carbon in an area, this causes the temperature and acidification to rise. This effects ocean life to the extreme. Causes much of the local aquatic life to leave to pursue colder waters. The acidity levels in the water also weaken the shells of other aquatic life such as clams, mussels, crabs, lobsters and many more. Kelp can also combat the amount of carbon and methane in our atmosphere as well. By putting seaweed in the feed of livestock, it can actually reduce the amount of methane the animals produce by 70%(Woody, NatGeo). 

This is a plant that has major potential for the future of this planet. If we look at it from the production stand point they talked about in the “Stuff” video, you plant it, all it needs are nutrients that are naturally found on the ocean and sunlight to grow, it needs to be harvested once a year, it can be shredded and put into fertilizer or animal feed, dried and woven to make clothes, then once consumed or throw away, its entirely biodegradable and nutrient rich for the earth. 

It’s almost the perfect product. I say almost because everything has its flaws. Kelp absorbs carbon but it also can absorb other elements like iodine. This element is good in moderation, it help us maintain healthy thyroids but too much of it can lead to thyroid problems. This is a concern for humans and animals. Another negative impact that kelp farming would have is under the surface. It could disrupt local sea currents as well as cause a typical production problem, noise. The sounds of crops being gathered is a small price to pay in my mind.

For the Portland area, this would help in many ways. I have an in with a few of the local lobstermen around the area and they have been telling me about the decline in lobsters the past few summers. Research shows that lobsters are among a large number of species moving further north. With the kelp farms in effect, we could successfully lower local temps around Maine and keep our lobsters here. Lobster supply chain contributes about one billion dollars to the states economy every year. It also is responsible for generating over 4,000 jobs for Mainers.   For Portland, kelp is the obvious choice.

I think that the people of the community should have full say over this topic. Not only does it effect our waters but it also effects our health and a lot of jobs. This should be made more apparent to the people in the effected area and then put up for a vote or discussion on what to do next. I think that the people of Portland would see this as a viable option for what’s going on in the sea around them. If they aren’t for it that’s fine, but they should at least be made aware of it.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/forests-of-seaweed-can-help-climate-change-without-fire/

Study: Lobster supply chain contributes $1B to Maine economy each year

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00107/full