Hi! Please see my response to this question. Thank you!

Hi – Thank you for your question and my apologies for not seeing it until now. First, your question is a very good one because seaweed should not be wild harvested. Our sugar kelp – as with all sugar kelp in CT – is only grown on lines (think clothesline) and on approved sites. Connecticut has the most stringent laws for seaweed cultivation in the country to ensure environmental stewardship, and consumer health and protection. Second, and here’s the extra-cool part, our crops are considered regenerative and require ‘zero-input’. We set the seed in the Fall, tend to the crops over the winter, harvest in Spring…never adding fertilizers, pesticides, etc – all kelp needs to grow is the water & the sun (and a farmer!) And, kelp improves the water and environment by sequestering nitrogen and carbon which mitigates ocean acidification, while providing numerous benefits to shellfish and fin fish.
Check out http://www.newenglandkelp.com for information on our upcoming ‘Kelp Week’ from 4/2- 5/1. Join us and our restaurant partners for amazing kelp-centric dishes!
Thank you for your concern and I hope my note helped clarify.

History has shown that anyone that is looking to make profit over caring for the planet and the community is willing to extract and exploit- and these “farmers” are all over the country and the world. There are PLENTY of New England Farmers doing good work, including these that are highlighted. They are leaving natural kelp beds untouched because they sow their kelp seed out on rope in the water and then pull up the rope to harvest. Actually harvesting wild kelp would include diving and identification of where it is growing and be a lot more work then planting their own cultivated beds. And those cultivated beds just so happen to add to the work of the native kelp and do some really great environmental work. As someone who knows these farmers personally, they are not turning a huge profit and are in it for the opportunity to feed ourselves without harming our ecosystem

Good question, I have the same.