02 OSCAR PETTER
Due to years of unsustainable fishing techniques , what were once hubs of industry and community are now skeleton docks hanging onto life by the few months of summer tourism . The old harbours which once promised a living for those willing to work , now boast little more than the occasional worn out fisherman . Able bodied workers are far out at sea for months on end . Huge ships chase small fish further and further towards the poles . Yet , could it be that kelp farms with integrated multi-trophic aquaculture ( IMTA ) could rejuvenate the economies and ecologies of these coastal areas , bringing back both meaningful work and aquatic life ?
Current research published by the ‘ Marine Pollution Bulletin ’ suggests that the cultivation of kelp can significantly increase local biodiversity and habitat health . Just as in the naturally occurring kelp forests , the cultivated kelp acts as a keystone species by providing three-dimensional structure which is critical for the creatures which live in and around it . The kelp can shelter young fish within its fronds increasing their fry survival rate and therefore replenishing fish stocks . Moreover , through the process of photosynthesis , the kelp can alter the surrounding water chemistry , combating the effects of ocean acidification and making local waters more suited to bivalves and other benthic species . Through mimicking the rapidly reducing natural kelp forests , IMTA could provide a form of environmentally friendly and mutually beneficial aquaculture . Many of the problems associated with monoculture , such as waste accumulation and eutrophication due to nitrogen build up , can be solved through cultivating organisms that have evolved together in the same space . The kelp uses the fish waste as nutrients and the mussels attached to the kelp fronds filter the water , keeping it clear enough for the kelp to photosynthesise . Symbiosis .
Currently , alongside use in cosmetics and beauty products , kelp , which is extremely high in iron , is mainly used as a flavouring . However , I believe that within 10 years we will see kelp being used increasingly for biofuel as well as to encourage biodiversity and ocean health . With low lignin levels and very high carbohydrate levels , it is excellently suited to the production of bioethanol . Moreover , algal biofuels have shown to be up to 10 times more productive than the most efficient terrestrial equivalents . It is estimated that if all the nitrogen produced by Norwegian salmon farming were used to grow kelp , the subsequent biofuel could meet a quarter of Norway ' s road transport fuel consumption .
Due to the vertical growth of kelp vast quantities can be grown in a relatively small area . Moreover , the speed at which kelp can grow ( up to 50cm a day for some species given the right conditions ) means that a huge quantity of biomass could be cultivated in a short space of time . Wild kelp is only found in coastal areas as it is attached to the sea floor and so needs shallow water to receive sufficient light . Yet , kelp can be cultivated on ropes at surface level and grown vertically down , meaning that the kelp could be grown almost anywhere with the right temperature and sufficient water clarity .
In the future I see an algal revolution . I see large scale sustainable kelp farms dominating temperate regions , replacing and exceeding the rapidly dying kelp forests . I believe that these fast-growing fronds will be critical in the fight against biodiversity loss , in the phasing out of fossil fuels , and in the restoration of local fishing communities . If we begin to invest in local fishers , giving them the research and materials necessary to set up and experiment with different kelp cultivation techniques , then within a decade we might just be able to take a step in the right direction . I strongly believe that cultivation of these elegantly long vertical fronds will foster a more symbiotic relationship with our oceans , providing us with sustainable food and fuel , whilst sheltering aquatic organisms , reducing ocean acidification , and mitigating climate change as a whole .