Sea vegetable or seaweed

species description | season | status | regulatory authority |
harvest method | recreational harvest | health benefits & risks | 
buying & preparing | brands | certifications | links | featured harvester

►Species Description
Sea vegetable (seaweed or macroalgae)

Wild and cultured.

There are over 250 species of sea vegetable (marine macroalgae or seaweed) in the Gulf of Maine. While most are technically edible, only 11 are commercially harvested; these include reddish-purple dulse (Palmaria palmata); long, golden-brown kelp (Saccharina latissima, Laminaria digitata, and Alaria esculenta); thin green sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca); and laver or nori (Porphyra umbilicalis). Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) is the dominant species in the commercial harvest but is used as an ingredient in supplements and other products.

►Season
Depends on individual species.
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►Status
Depends on individual species and varies locally. Rockweed beds are managed for optimal growth; plants regrow in 2-4 years with proper harvesting methods.
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►Regulatory Authority
Maine Department of Marine Resources.
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►Harvest Method
Sea vegetable companies harvest mostly wild plants by hand, at low tide, between April and October. Sea farmers grow seaweed in Maine coastal waters on “seeded lines” —rope with juvenile plants attached—and harvest these by hand. Rockweed, which is not consumed unprocessed but may be an ingredient in food or nutritional supplements, is harvested (cut) by hand with rakes and by mechanical harvesters.
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►Recreational Harvest
Harvest for personal consumption is permitted, with property owner permission. Remember that in Maine, private property ownership typically extends to the low tide line and by law, people may access a privately-owned intertidal zone only for “fishing, fowling and navigation.” (More on access here.) Whether or not seaweed is considered a public resource and harvesting is considered “fishing” from a modern perspective has yet to be determined by the courts. Use caution in the intertidal zone: rocks are slippery and waves can be unpredictable.
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►Health Benefits & Risks
Seaweed contains essential minerals and vitamins, as well as fiber, protein, and iodine. Avoid collecting seaweed growing near sewage treatment plants and other wastewater outfalls.
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►Buying & Preparing
At the retail level, sea vegetables harvested or grown in Maine will be labeled appropriately. If collecting yourself, take along a field guide such as Life between the Tides.
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►Companies, Brands, and Labels

• Maine Coast Sea Vegetables
• Ocean Approved
• The Seaweed Man
• Ironbound Island

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►Certifications & Verifications
Maine Coast Sea Vegetable products are certified organic.
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►Links

• Maine Seaweed Council
• Seaweed Beyond Sushi, an article in Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors (PDF, 640 kb)
• Rockweed Ecology, Industry, and Management fact sheet (PDF, 4.5 MB)
• Learn about Sea Grant's Seaweed Production on Mussel Farms in Maine research project.
• Read Sea Vegetable Celebration.

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►Featured Harvester
Larch Hansen
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species description | season | status | harvest method | recreational harvest
health benefits & risks | buying & preparing | brands | certifications | links | featured harvester