Focus of Work: Driven largely by nutritional and climate-positive applications of the work, the scientific research, government funding, environmental implications, and commercial activity related to seaweed farming and seagrass restoration have surged in recent years. The Interagency Working Group for Farming Seaweeds and Seagrasses (Working Group), chaired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is charged to report to Congress on the opportunities for farming seaweeds and seagrasses in waters of the United States. To advance this work, USDA partnered with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences to conduct and review research, support demonstration projects, and prepare the report.
Our Approach: For several years, Seatone has, in various capacities, supported the work of the Bigelow Laboratory to strengthen the research and applied science behind seaweed and seagrasses, including blue carbon values and other climate-related benefits. Once an initial draft of the report to Congress was prepared, Seatone assisted USDA and the Bigelow Laboratory in planning and facilitating four weekly stakeholder listening sessions over a month to gather a final round of feedback. Seatone utilized a range of tools to collect input and recommendations from attendees at these virtual events, including through verbal comments, live polls, Zoom chat box comments and with the use of Google Forms.
Key Outcomes: This series of well-attended virtual events (518 persons) showcased a written draft of the report and enabled interested parties to provide extensive feedback on recent research developments, including early results of funded demonstration projects as well as the content of the draft report. Moreover, subject matter experts were skillfully integrated into the discussion, thereby deepening attendee engagement on critical topics. The cumulative results of the four virtual meetings enabled the Working Group Steering Committee to broaden the scientific consensus on knowledge gaps and resource needs, as well as identify topics, graphics and other features to incorporate into the report.
Click the link below or the image above Seatone Core Service Areas to access the report submitted to Congress in September, 2024.
