Article by Anoushka Concepcion Contact Anoushka Concepcion, Assistant Extension Educator, Connecticut Sea Grant, Groton, CT anoushka.concepcion@ uconn.edu 860-405-9105 seagrant.uconn.edu Connecticut has an extensive agricultural indus- try that extends far beyond land. Hidden under its coast, lies more than 70,000 acres where one of the best protein sources is produced—shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops). The shellfish aquaculture industry is over 150 years old and expanding in numbers of producers, and additional products. But shellfish are not the only crops that grow underwater. Seaweed, or sea vegetables, is a highly valued commodity at $8-10 billion in the global market. Seaweeds are consumed for their nutritional benefits and are a staple in Asian diets. Their components are in a wide range of products including fertilizers, animal feeds, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, and biofuels. Seaweeds also provide ecosystem ser- vices; they can be used to clean up waterways by extracting excess nutrients from urban runoff. Although the majority of production occurs in Asia, interest in seaweed production is increasing in the United States. For many years, seaweed has been harvested from the wild. However, the cultivation (or aquaculture) of domestic seaweed is increasing. Current producers of seaweed include shellfish pro- ducers and displaced lobstermen looking to diversify products and income. There is also an interest from municipalities who are looking at seaweed for ecosys- tem services. Currently in Connecticut, there are two types of seaweed cultivated and approved for food: the sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima and Gracilaria tikvahiae. The kelp grows in the winter season while the Gracilaria grows in the summer. There are four commercial farms growing sugar kelp. These farms are small-scale and mostly grow shellfish. Connecticut Sea Grant has been involved in seaweed aquaculture for almost 30 years, funding extensive foundational and applied research of Dr. Charles Yarish in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. More recently, Sea Grant and UConn Extension have been helping transfer aspects of the research to industry and market, along with Yarish and other collaborators. Sea Grant has been addressing several bottlenecks hindering further expansion of this new industry. The major bottleneck is lack of federal guidelines on the public health A New Marine Crop 6 2016 HIGHLIGHTS OF EXTENSION