UMaine research cited in Hakai Magazine article on rockweed
University of Maine research was mentioned in a Hakai Magazine article about Maine rockweed. The sea vegetable has become a valuable commercial product, an ingredient in everything from fertilizers to pet foods to nutritional supplements, according to the article. In 2017, Maine’s rockweeders gathered nearly 9 million kilograms and raked in over $600,000 — roughly four times the haul in 2001, the article states. Scientists at UMaine have suggested that because rockweed has evolved to rapidly bounce back after damage from waves, ice and other stressors, harvesters could sustainably haul away up to 20 percent of Maine’s rockweed each year, Hakai reported. Smithsonian.com also published the Hakai article.