Seaweed, or 'macro-algae' or is one of the oldest species on the planet. Used to make sushi

What Is Seaweed or Sea Vegetables, Anyway?

What Is Seaweed or Sea Vegetables, Anyway?

 

Seaweed, or 'macro-algae' or is one of the oldest species on the planet. 

Sea Vegetables grows in almost every region of the world that has water. It has many purposes in the oceans ecosystem including providing food for fish, and removing carbon dioxide in the oceans where it grows.

There are 3 main seaweed categories including red, brown, and green which include 1000's of different species and many that are yet to be discovered.

All seaweed have similar nutritional properties yet each category is unique.

North America has seen an increase in the consumption of seaweed. 

Many regions are now beginning to understand the benefits of eating seaweeds such as North America, although the Canadian Indigenous peoples who lived in coastal regions long before Canada was colonized were known to eat seaweeds. 

Edible Sea Vegetables have often been imported from Asian countries to North America for recent human consumption such as Japan, Taiwan, and China, who have been eating seaweeds in their diet for centuries.

North America has seen an increase in the consumption of seaweed.
  • Red seaweeds (Sea Vegetables) such as Irish Moss and Dulse are used in the commercial food and cosmetic industry. 

  • Green seaweed is commonly used as extracts for environmental remediation, and nutritional supplements. 

  • Brown seaweed wins the gold medal for its' agricultural uses, as well as iodine extraction and other extractive ingredient uses.

How is seaweed farmed and what are the benefits of increased production?

Seaweed can be harvested wild under the supervision of a specialist, or cultivated in the ocean or in on-land cultivation systems.

Sea Vegetables cultivation can be seen as sustainable for their abilities to remove carbon dioxide from the oceans which may reduce ocean acidification.

All of these highlights are just a few reasons why seaweed is a focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14, Life Below Water.

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