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U.S. NEWSThursday 3 December 2015

American Living:

Lobster, schlobster: Seaweed is Maine’s hot new product

A variety of products that use seaweed are displayed at the Royal River Natural Foods store in Seaweed — formed from have leveraged Maine’s
Freeport, Maine. The products are, from left, ready-to-use sea lettuce, kelp tablets, popcorn marine algae — comes in marine heritage and the
flavored with seaweed, pet foods, and an energy snack containing dried kelp. many forms. Rockweed is boom in natural foods to
by the far the most com- grow interest in the state’s
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) monly harvested type in seaweed. Michael Lomas,
Maine, and its uses include who heads a national ma-
PATRICK WHITTLE weed, about double from people in August in South fertilizer, soil conditioner, rine research lab in East
Associated Press 10 years ago. Maine har- Portland, more than twice nutrients for animal feed Boothbay, Maine, said the
BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — vesters collected 17.7 mil- the first year. “It’s totally and extracts by commer- growth has raised Maine’s
It’s green, it’s gooey and lion pounds of seaweed in piqued right now.” cial food processors. national stature as a major
it’s giving Maine’s famous 2014 — the most ever re- It’s true. Seaweed is hot. But seaweed harvesters seaweed producer.
lobsters a run for their corded for the state and “More people are interest- and processors here said Small businesses that
money. more than four times the ed in sea vegetables, and there is also more interest make a living on seaweed
Well, not really. At least 2004 total. a lot more Americans are in at least nine other kinds products report more in-
not yet. But when it comes “Maine is excited about a lot more savvy about of seaweed as food, and terest in their goods. It’s
to seaweed production, seaweed, and the world is eating nutritious foods,” they tout the plant’s high good news for seaweed
Maine is the country’s No. excited about seaweed,” said Susan Brawley, a Uni- concentration of nutri- industry veterans like Shep
1. said Hillary Krapf, founder versity of Maine botanist. ents. Popular Maine sea- Erhart, founder of Maine
The state now supports of the Maine Seaweed “There’s no one profile a weeds include sugar kelp, Coast Sea Vegetables,
more than 20 companies Festival, whose second seaweed has, just like a to- which can be used as an which sells everything from
that grow or collect sea- year drew more than 3,000 mato is not like a spinach.” alternative to pasta, and seaweed cookbooks to
Irish moss, which is used in Applewood-smoked sea-
brewing beer. weed. He and his wife
Seaweed production in have been trading in sea-
Maine is just a blip on the weed for more than 40
worldwide scene, an an- years.
nual 25 million-ton busi- Many seaweed products
ness that is dominated are popular because of
by China, Indonesia, the their artisanal production,
Philippines, South Korea he said: “It’s really a hand-
and Japan, according to crafted food.”
the Food and Agriculture Some environmentalists
Organization of the United register concern about the
Nations. growth, arguing that strip-
Maine overtook California ping rockweed from tidal
as the biggest producer areas damages coastal
of seaweed in the U.S. in ecosystems.
2006, state and federal That’s one reason growth
figures show. in seaweed aquaculture,
Harvesters here said they as opposed to wild har-
vesting, is important to
FBI: Background checks for gun sales peak on Black Friday sustain the industry, said
Tollef Olson, a South Port-
ALICIA A. CALDWELL The agency said Tuesday vices to women, including are conducted for gun land seaweed farmer. He
Associated Press that it processed 185,345 abortions. purchases from federally claims to have opened
WASHINGTON (AP) — The background checks — The FBI received about licensed deals and for the state’s first seaweed
day after the U.S Thanks- roughly two per second 5 percent fewer back- permits to carry guns. A farm, on Casco Bay in
giving Day holiday, known — on the same day that ground check requests on background check does 2009.
as Black Friday as shop- three people were killed Black Friday in 2014, the not mean a gun was pur- “It gives us a lot of con-
pers chasing bargains and nine others wounded agency said. chased, but manufac- trol over the raw materi-
crowd stores, broke an in an attack at a Planned FBI background checks turers rely on the back- als,” said Olson said, not-
FBI record for the number Parenthood office in the processed by the Nation- ground check statistics ing at least seven other
of firearms background state of Colorado. The al Instant Criminal Back- as a measurement of the seaweed aquaculture
checks. group provides health ser- ground Check System industry’s health.q companies do business in
Maine today.q