Ocean farmers use a ruler to check how much the seaweed has grown.

Smith’s New Farm

Smith asked a scientist for advice. The scientist suggested Smith try farming seaweed. Smith didn't know much about seaweed, but he learned. He found out that a lot of people like to eat it.

sugar kelp

So, Smith became an ocean farmer. Now, he grows seaweed. He also grows other things on his farm. He grows shellfish such as mussels, scallops, clams, and oysters. By growing these things together, he makes the most out of his farm.

Explore 3D ocean farming.

3D Ocean Farming

Take a look at this 3D ocean farm. You can see the buoys. They hold ropes. The ropes support seaweed. It grows downward in long ribbons. Scallops and mussels grow in nets. Oysters grow in cages on the seafloor.

Seaweed grows fast in long ribbons.

Anchors keep the buoys and ropes in place.

How Do They Start?

Crops on land begin as seeds planted in the ground. How do ocean farm crops grow?

Seaweed grows from spores. These are single cells. The spores grow on a string rolled around a tube. The spores grow on the string in the ocean until harvest.

Young mussels called larvae swim in the ocean. They attach themselves to seaweed. Then they grow hard shells. The farmer puts these baby mussels into nets. Then they grow bigger.

Seaweed grows around a tube in a nursery.

Other shellfish start life in a nursery before being moved to the 3D farm to continue growing.