Wild Harvest vs. Farmed Seaweed

Seaweeds can be foraged but this must be done with great care.  For responsible and sustainable seaweed management, a forager must understand the local ecology and only harvest where there will not be a detrimental lasting impact. 

In addition to any environmental impact, chefs must be very careful when sourcing wild seaweeds in order to make sure they are not coming from polluted waters. Chefs should only buy wild seaweed from experienced and responsible foragers.  It is also important to buy only wild seaweed that have been harvested by hand, as this has less of an impact on the environment.

All wild seaweed should be carefully washed as well as picked over to make sure that all animals and any grit, sand or rocks are removed. 

Wild seaweed was sustainably harvested by hand to start the Monterey Bay Seaweeds farm.  This initial seaweed stock was used to kickstart the farming process.  Now that there is developed seaweed growth, no more wild seaweed is needed. 

Interested in a type of seaweed we don't currently farm?

Calling all chefs! If you have experienced a great tasting seaweed harvested from the wild and are looking to find a sustainable and dependable source, let us know. We might be able to farm your favorite variety in our land-based tank system.