Cape Cod sees growth in kelp fishing interest thanks partly to biofuels

In Massachusetts, Cape Cod is seeing a huge growth in kelp fishing and farming thanks to farmers and fishermen who want to farm it for biofuel or sell it to food markets. There has been an increase in permits and requests for permits for kelp fishing over the last two years.

According to WCAI Cape and Islands, “In 2015, there were zero kelp farming permits, currently there are two in Oak Bluffs and Chilmark, and there are five more permit requests in the pipeline.”

In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently posted a public notice about permits being sought from them for a proposed kelp aquaculture farm off Chatham. According to Cape Cod, “The proposed kelp farm would consist of three sites off Harding’s Beach in Nantucket Sound covering more than 62 acres. The completed farm would be made up of 350 seeded kelp lines that are 200 feet long.”