Kelp experiment grows on Chilmark and Aquinnah

A kelp-growing project run by the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group is looking to expand on the island from Oak Bluffs into Chilmark and Aquinnah.

Amandine Surier, the shellfish group’s hatchery manager, received support from the Chilmark Board of Selectmen and Shellfish Constable Isaiah Scheffer to deploy kelp spools in the community as part of an ongoing research project.

While research on growing several types of seaweed has been happening in other parts of New England and Woods Hole over the past five years, interest is growing. Surier said she has received positive feedback on the island.

Sugar kelp, the long ribbon type that the group is experimenting with, is native to the area and has a number of uses. It is a popular food item, and it improves water quality by removing nitrogen and carbon at a rate that is more efficient than oysters, Scheffer said. There is also potential for kelp to be used as a biofuel.

Since the sugar kelp grows during the winter months, it could potentially benefit the winter economy on the island. Oyster farmers can grow both products together and maintain their business throughout the year. A lot of oyster farmers don’t want to rely on just one product, Surier and Scheffer said.

“Kelp serves as a nursery ground to fish, has bioremediation purposes, and you can eat it,” Surier said. “The island has a big local food movement. It could fit in really well with the culture, as well as the economy.

“Maine and Connecticut have been growing kelp for a while, have a lot of regulations in place, and people are making a living growing. Massachusetts is a little behind on kelp.”

The group is experimenting with the growth process on the Vineyard and collaborating with the Division of Marine Fisheries about the development of regulations.

The project is still in the experimental phase, Surier said. In its first year, the group used an existing oyster farm in Oak Bluffs and another site in Rhode Island and had mixed results.

Surier’s team produces kelp seed spools in an indoor nursery for about 30 to 40 days before the spools are ready for deployment in the water. The seed strings on the spool are transferred to a line that is anchored at a depth of seven feet. In Chilmark, Scheffer and the group are considering potential sites that have pre-existing town moorings that would serve as anchors for the lines.

Spools are deployed in November, and the kelp is harvested in March or April. During the growing period, the lines and water conditions are monitored regularly.

After obtaining a small grant from the Edey Foundation, Surier went to the DMF to amend its existing experimental permit, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In order to get permits to use growing sites in specific towns, Surier goes to the respective conservation commissions for approval.

Chilmark is an ideal location, Surier said, because there are some interesting sites and it is protected from north winds.

“I’m completely on board with the idea of trying to find new ways of using the water body to feed an ever-growing population, “ Scheffer said. “We’re going to need a lot of this [experimentation] in the future.”

Last year, the group gave some seed spools to Roger Williams University. Students there were able to harvest about 70 pounds of kelp, and the university froze it and serves a kelp salad in the cafeteria.