Deep in the Seaweeds

shutterstock | Kichigin (seaweed)

Maine author Susan Hand Shetterly takes readers on a captivating trip through the world of underwater flora.

[dropcap letter=”B”]eachgoers, boaters, fishermen — for many a recreationalist, seaweed is mostly just a nuisance. But in Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge (Algonquin, August 7), seaweed gets its due as the fascinating, vital — and, unfortunately, threatened — lifeform it is. Here, five of the most mind-blowing facts from the pages of Shetterly’s ode to those slimy sea veggies.

1 Migratory birds use drifting patches of seaweeds as “rest stops” on the open ocean, picking small, edible creature out of the tangle for a quick snack.

2 Young eels swimming to Maine, one of only two states with an elver fishery, were all spawned in Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic with an ecosystem defined by dense Sargassum seaweed.

#goodmorning #elverfishing #fishing #harbor #camdenmaine #iphonex

A post shared by Dev (@photoeye1) on Mar 24, 2018 at 6:12am PDT

3 In 2016, 17,367,229 pounds of Ascophyllum nodosum — more commonly called rockweed, often used in fertilizers and feeds — were harvested in Maine.

Maine rockweed. . . . . #rockweed #coastalmaine #seaweed #plantlife #coastalplants

A post shared by Lee Anne White (@leeannewhite) on Jul 28, 2018 at 3:53pm PDT

4 Photosynthesis from seaweed generates at least half of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.

5 FMC Corporation, with its Rockland processing plant, is the only company to manufacture food-grade carrageenan — a seaweed extract found in almond milk, tofu, shampoo, and toothpaste — in the U.S.

BUY THIS ISSUE

Deep in the Seaweeds

Maine author Susan Hand Shetterly takes readers on a captivating trip through the world of underwater flora.

1 Migratory birds use drifting patches of seaweeds as “rest stops” on the open ocean, picking small, edible creature out of the tangle for a quick snack.

2 Young eels swimming to Maine, one of only two states with an elver fishery, were all spawned in Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic with an ecosystem defined by dense Sargassum seaweed.

3 In 2016, 17,367,229 pounds of Ascophyllum nodosum — more commonly called rockweed, often used in fertilizers and feeds — were harvested in Maine.

4 Photosynthesis from seaweed generates at least half of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.

5 FMC Corporation, with its Rockland processing plant, is the only company to manufacture food-grade carrageenan — a seaweed extract found in almond milk, tofu, shampoo, and toothpaste — in the U.S.

BUY THIS ISSUE

Screen Time

Going to See the Ducks

Pointe, Counterpointe

Pipe Dreams

Deep in the Seaweeds

Maine author Susan Hand Shetterly takes readers on a captivating trip through the world of underwater flora.

1 Migratory birds use drifting patches of seaweeds as “rest stops” on the open ocean, picking small, edible creature out of the tangle for a quick snack.

2 Young eels swimming to Maine, one of only two states with an elver fishery, were all spawned in Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic with an ecosystem defined by dense Sargassum seaweed.

3 In 2016, 17,367,229 pounds of Ascophyllum nodosum — more commonly called rockweed, often used in fertilizers and feeds — were harvested in Maine.

4 Photosynthesis from seaweed generates at least half of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.

5 FMC Corporation, with its Rockland processing plant, is the only company to manufacture food-grade carrageenan — a seaweed extract found in almond milk, tofu, shampoo, and toothpaste — in the U.S.

Share this: