Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

The global seaweed aquaculture industry is rapidly expanding due to the diversity of applications and sustainability benefits. Despite its global historical and cultural significance, seaweed remains underutilized in Western diets. This project investigates barriers to the culinary use of domestically-farmed seaweed in the United States, focusing on chefs' perceptions and knowledge gaps. Through collaboration with chefs and seaweed farms, the project developed educational resources and recipes to showcase the culinary versatility of eight seaweed species. The findings highlight challenges in seaweed accessibility and consumer acceptance, proposing targeted educational initiatives to enhance the domestic seaweed market and promote its culinary adoption.

Please see media created for this project here: https://tinyurl.com/5n88mk8n