The Vashon Kelp Forest aims to create a regenerative ocean seaweed farm in Puyallup waters off the coast of Vashon Island.
What is the goal of the project?
In the face of the massive decline of kelp in Puget Sound, the Vashon Kelp Forest project will work to regrow this critical species.
The goal of the Vashon Kelp Forest project is to build a start-up company that can be financially sustainable through the sale of kelp as well as help the environment and Vashon community in the following three ways:
Improve the environment and marine habitat of Puget Sound with a focus on restoration of the historic kelp beds of the Colvos Passage.
Be a foundational research platform for academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to learn about the Puget Sound marine ecosystem and the unique role that seaweed plays.
Create additional income and employment opportunities for the Vashon community.
“Instead of continuing to rely on fossil-fuel–intensive manufacture of fertilizers, we can farm seaweeds that suck up carbon as they grow and can be used for food, animal feed, biofuels and fertilizer. Instead of pesticides making us and the ocean sick, we can grow food in the ocean that makes us well. Instead of fertilizer runoff creating algal blooms, we can use algae as fertilizer to make fruit trees bloom.”
— Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Ph. D., Scientific American, November 2018