Join us for the WRWA Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 9 at 11:30. You will hear updates on our water quality monitoring programs and education iniatives. We are also excited to announce a special presentation by Paul Dobbins, Vice President, Aquaculture at World Wildlife Fund.
Advancing Seaweed Farming for Climate and Societal Gains
WWF believes that seaweed is a neglected climate change opportunity. Farming seaweed is the most resource efficient means of creating vegetative biomass, and seaweed provides important ecosystem benefits to the waters in which they are grown. Recent data suggests that seaweed farms facilitate carbon sequestration and improve biodiversity. All the world’s coasts can farm seaweed, yet 98% of the 36 million metric tons harvested from farms each year is generated by only six countries in the western pacific. In this talk we will explore how seaweed is farmed, and why the largest conservation organization in the world is advocating for more human activity in the North Atlantic Rim and Eastern Pacific. We will also discuss the impact of warming waters on seaweed species and the role of farmers in the restoration of wild seaweed beds, and the role of seaweed farming can paly in our changing working waterfront. If we get lucky with the weather we will also have a hands-on opportunity with seaweeds native to Westport and the Gulf of Maine.
11:30 am - coffee and pastries
12 pm - presentations begin
RSVP on our events page - https://www.westportwatershed.org/event-details/wrwa-annual-meeting-1