Oceans, rivers and lakes are chockful of thousands of underwater plants and algae collectively described as seaweed. Demand for seaweed — kelp, specifically — has exploded as scientists have confirmed its dietary benefits and its potential as a tool in the fight against climate change.

"Seaweeds have a variety of nutrients and minerals and anti-inflammatory properties that you just can't get from typical land plants," Scott Lindell, research specialist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Under the Radar. "Food processing companies are finding ways to integrate seaweed, kelp in particular, into products that Americans are familiar with. There are kelp burgers out there which are vegan and some of the best vegetarian burgers I've ever had."

There are now seaweed farms from Alaska to Massachusetts, including Duxbury Sugar Kelp of Duxbury, Mass. Owner-operator, John Lovett, said one reason he got into the business was to explore the environmental impacts of kelp: "I really wanted to... be on the forefront of learning about [kelp], to be able to innovate some of the systems that we use to grow it and really to help other farmers understand the impact that they, too, can have on the environment."

From food to biofuel and everything in between, some experts believe this billion-year-old algae is the wave of the future. A new exhibit about seaweed aims to capture part of that excitement.

"One of the biggest things that I hope people walk away from the exhibition thinking about is that seaweed is a lot more than they may have known," Naomi Slipp, chief curator at the New Bedford Whaling Museum and curator of "A Singularly Marine & Fabulous Produce: the Cultures of Seaweed".

"One of the fun things about having the exhibit up has been engaging in these conversations around contemporary applications for seaweed and its potential for the future."

GUESTS

Scott Lindell, research specialist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

John Lovett, owner-operator of Duxbury Sugar Kelp

Naomi Slipp, chief curator at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

From kelp burgers to biofuel, some see a bright future for seaweed 34:50 Share

Under the Radar Podcast

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From kelp burgers to biofuel, some see a bright future for seaweed