Atlantic Sea Farms: Kelp Blancher

Lead PI: Peter Rahn

PI Email: prahn@oceanapproved.com

Co-PI: Briana Warner, Atlantic Sea Farms

Project Team: Peter Rahn, Atlantic Sea Farms; Briana Warner, Atlantic Sea Farms

Abstract: The main goal of this project is to purchase and retrofit an industrial vegetable blancher for seaweed blanching. This will increase production capacity at Atlantic Sea Farms (ASF), allowing the company to meet its current demand for product, and grow as projected, continuing to add partner farms and farmers and amplify our positive environmental and economic impact along the coast. Automating the blanching process is the first step in developing production equipment and efficiencies to continue to allow ASF to grow and help diversify Maine’s coastal economy. The ASF farmers network (24 at the time of project initiation) does (and will continue to) have access to the facility and hosts yearly farmers network meetings where the company plans to discuss this project, the outcomes, and explain and show the blancher as a way to educate and share with these 24 seaweed farmers in Maine. ASF staff also give tours to aquaculture groups, schools, university students, media, and scientists (and other groups as needed) as a way to spread the word about how kelp can help the environment and our coast.

Project Dates: May 2020 – September 2021

Project Funding: Maine Aquaculture HUB