01x03 - Alaska Fresh

[bunniefuu]

If you've ever

dreamed of owning a farm,

come with me.

Things are living and

things are growing on a rooftop.

I'm Indy Officinalis.

I'm a farmer who loves

helping other farmers.

My passion for farming

started in my teens,

working on a

homestead in North Carolina,

and led me to

urban farming in LA.

I've worked on farms

from coast to coast,

but farming is hard work.

We planted about

ten varieties of fruit trees

and they all died.

So, I'm traveling the

country to offer some hope.

Hi.

Indy!

Oh,

my gosh, Indy!

Join me as I

transform farms on rooftops,

in backyards, warehouses.

This is insane!

And even out on the ocean.

Farm rescue on a boat.

And on the way, we'll

get tips from some of my expert farmer friends.

This is so

awesome! I'm so excited!

Today, I'm in

one of the beautiful places in the world, Alaska.

What's up?

Come on over!

I don't think

I've ever met a farmer

on the water like this.

All right, let's go.

Let's do it.

Hello Alaska.

This is stunning.

I'm out on a boat

with farmer Mark Seheer,

whose passion is

to utilize Alaska's beautiful natural resources

to produce a

sustainable commercial crop,

and offer more job

opportunities to the local fishing community.

I will do everything

I can to help him with

this environmentally

friendly venture,

so that his unconventional

farm doesn't go adrift.

All right. Welcome

to the Doyle Bay Kelp farm.

Yay.

This is where

Seagrove grows all of it's seaweed.

You wanna go take a tour?

I'd love to.

Let's go take a look.

While I'm more

accustomed to farming on land,

Mark and his

company's chief scientist,

Doctor Tiff Stephens,

are aqua farmers.

They grow kelp off the shores

of Prince of Wales Island

in South East Alaska.

Mark founded the

Seagrove Kelp Company to

support his farm and

to sell this versatile

and environmentally

friendly food product.

As you approach, you

start seeing all of these

little floating orange buoys.

Those are actually what

the kelp is growing on.

So, it was incredible to

be actually on a farm where

you're floating

above the crop.

So, how long have you

guys been here in the middle of the ocean farming?

So, so, we, uh, we

put kelp in the water in 2019.

And so, we're just about

to go into our third harvest.

But we're hoping to produce

probably 100 to 200 tons of, uh,

of seaweed this year.

Is there a

market for that?

Asia's been doing

it for hundreds of years.

In North America we've been

producing farmed seaweeds for

about 30 years.

And one of the reasons

that we wanted to do this was,

the economic model in

Alaska's been primarily extraction based.

You come to Alaska, which is

so amazingly lush with resources,

you know, and you take it out,

and you take it somewhere,

and this is such a

different model because we can grow food locally,

there's no fertilizer,

there's no pesticides, and,

and the water in

Alaska is so pristine.

I moved to Alaska in 1982.

This was where I started.

And I think the opportunity

to bring something home

that can, hopefully, make

these communities better and stronger,

I feel pretty fortunate to

have the opportunity to do that.

As I'm talking to Mark,

I'm realizing it's not just

about growing

kelp and selling it,

he really comes from this

environmentalist background.

He wants to make the

planet a better place.

So, how do you actually

access the kelp that's under the buoys?

Let's go

pull a kelp line.

All right.

There is one right there.

All right.

Grab this buoy, right here.

Oh, wow,

that's awesome!

That's so cool! No way!

So, that's sugar kelp.

This is beautiful!

It is pretty stunning.

Seaweeds have have

sustained human civilization

since time immemorial.

I like to say that

all kelps are seaweeds,

but not all seaweeds are kelps.

Kelp are large algaes

that live in cold seawater.

Though it might

look like a plant,

and is photosynthetic,

kelp are actually protists,

a kingdom created for

organisms that cannot be categorized

as plants, animals or fungi.

You wanna try a bite?

Just go, yeah.

So, that is delicious.

It's, like, crisp, delicate.

It's like the

potato chips of the sea.

That's a

great way to put it.

And the kelp starts

here? This is where it begins?

We start in the

nursery in Ketchikan.

Commercial kelp

are generally grown first in

a nursery, before

being placed in the ocean.

Light, water, temperature

all must be controlled,

much the way plants

are grown in a greenhouse.

You seed it in the fall,

and it will, we'll put

it out with the buoys.

And if we do our job right,

we don't really have to touch it

until the spring until harvest.

Wow.

And the cool

thing about growing kelp is,

we don't have to add

nutrients and so we're not adding things to the system.

Mm-hmm.

And with Tiff's

expertise in marine science,

she knows exactly

what to look for while monitoring the kelp farm.

So, we're

growing local species.

We wanna do this in an

environmentally friendly way,

we wanna be sustainable,

and it is farming.

All to the same things,

like nutrients and light,

they all matter, just

like if you were doing land based agriculture.

Right, exactly.

If you were growing corn,

it's the same.

Right.

Yeah.

All right, we're clear.

But farming kelp does

come with it's own unique challenges.

Argh!

Like keeping your

balance on a moving boat.

Bending your

knees is really important.

I'm one of

those people who, like,

falls over on land,

just, like, standing there.

Oh.

So. And

what do I do with my?

What are you

doing with your hands?

Oh, you're putting

them on your

I just, I just

Okay, all right.

I'm gonna do this.

This seems

'Cause I've got

nowhere else to put 'em, so I just

Yeah, yeah exactly,

in my pocket.

If I had suspenders

like a farmer I'd be

Right, yeah, yeah.

Well, I do.

Well, you do, yeah.

I do have

my suspenders, I can do that.

Okay,

this is, this is nice.

All right. I got the stand.

One of the reasons

why I think mariculture,

which is aquatic farming

that we call it in Alaska,

is such a great opportunity is

because there are so many people

here that grew up on boats,

they grew up fishing,

so people know how

to work in the water,

and most of the

people that do this

are people that

grew up on the water.

Part of the mission is to

provide opportunities for

the local community

to provide jobs.

All of the folks that, that work

around the farm are people that

live in these communities.

Since fishing

is often seasonal,

the kelp harvest

creates jobs for local fishers.

The success of this farm

could benefit the environment

and the Alaskan workforce.

So, Mark has to make money

to support and grow his business,

but kelp aren't like

tomatoes that you see sitting

on every supermarket shelf.

Is this financially viable?

Growing food in the

middle of the ocean?

We spend a lot of

time and money investing in this,

so we're looking for

other ways to expand revenue.

Mark is the most

earnest and optimistic person that

I think maybe I've ever met,

which is a great quality to have

if you're a business owner.

He loves his community.

He grew up here, starting a

new business in a new industry

was never gonna be easy,

and so he really accepted the challenge, and has been

pushing that rock up

the hill since day one,

and bringing others with him.

I don't have that many

opportunities to go do something

like this that has

lasting and meaningful change,

so I need to go be

the change I wanna see.

You wanna go check

out the kelp in the water?

Yes!

I have some gear here

and we can just tie off to

one of these buoys and

get straight in, if you want?

Oh, you mean

like in the water? We're going diving?

In the water, yeah.

Yes, let's do it.

Let's get on in there.

I'm just here to kelp.

.

I was already on

Prince of Wales Island

doing other work, met Mark,

actually went

to see one of his talks,

and I guess he

found that endearing,

and he offered me a job.

Working on a

kelp farm is pretty much

every seaweed scientist's

dream

when they're going

through their education.

Getting in the water

with Tiff is the perfect way to get

an up close look at the upside

down world of kelp farming.

All right,

are you excited?

Oh, yeah.

You seem pretty chill.

Good.

You're gonna

be really chill.

Yeah.

.

To do this, I

have to brave the icy cold waters of Alaska.

One, two, three.

We jump

right in, and that's when I felt and tasted Alaska.

When I saw the kelp

growing for the first time,

I was speechless.

Seeing something

that huge happening right under the surface.

And I'm just like,

"Wow, this is incredible."

If you look

just over here, we have some really nice sea kelp.

Swimming within the kelp

farm's kinda of a magical experience.

When you're in the water you

can't see anything around you

other than kelp lines.

Each grow line

is about 500 feet,

and those lines are

sitting underwater about

eight to ten feet deep.

It almost feels

like you're in space.

I can't compare

it to anything else.

Kelp is like

the forest of the ocean.

That salt water is freezing,

but the kelp underneath is

beautiful and pristine.

And we ate it

straight out of the ocean,

an experience like no other,

and it just made me get

behind their mission even more.

We could just

Lady and the tr*mp it.

.

Would you

like me to kelp you out?

.

It's been so much fun,

I'm even starting

to enjoy Mark's puns.

But the clock is ticking.

Time to leave the crystalline

waters and get back on dry land,

to figure out how I can

help Mark secure the future

of his sustainable aqua farm.

That was so much fun, guys.

Hey, look who is.

Hey!

Oh hey, Maura!

Hey, guys.

So, Mark invited

Seagrove's Marketing Director,

Maura Scudero,

over to meet me.

Yeah, it's a fun job.

And to talk about the

challenges of introducing kelp

into various markets.

I think a large part of

my job is just teaching people

what they can do

with kelp, 'cause there's so much out there.

And it's more than

just the dried, you know,

sushi product,

which is what I think

what most people see it as.

Is there any other way

that you can kind of break into

the market for

things outside of food?

The sustainable

product that's good for the environment,

if we can push

it wherever we can.

You're positively

impacting the planet,

and in this super

tight-knit community as well.

Well, that's the goal.

That's what

we're trying to do, yeah.

Indy, it's a lot of

Alaska's coastal communities are

economically challenged

because there's not a lot

of opportunity for them.

And this is something that

can work wherever they are,

and people know

how to work on boats,

and work in the ocean, and

we're just getting started,

and I think there's a

lot more that we can do,

and frankly, a lot

more that we need to do.

I think we need to diversify.

People are

interested in building careers.

One issue

we have with kelp,

it's a very seasonal

product and that's hard to keep labor forces around,

and it's hard to

build careers for people.

Oh.

And so, we've thought

about diversification for

a few reasons, for economic

reasons and for labor reasons.

And if you

only have that one thing,

and if something bad

happens or it doesn't grow well, or,

you know, things like that,

then, you know, every,

you've got all your

eggs in that one basket.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Kelp farmers have a lot

of the same challenges as

those who work on land.

I'm on a mission,

and I, I wanna, I wanna make this farm work for

you guys, so I'll

be back in a few days.

All right.

Okay.

Yes, great.

Thanks Indy.

Mark is super friendly,

and he's full of dad jokes,

but he's also somebody who

cares deeply about his community.

I want to see this farm

live up to its potential.

Mark started Seagrove

in Alaska to bolster a new sustainable industry,

and provide job opportunities

for the local community.

So, I want to do

everything I can to set them on the right path.

I might be new to

the world of kelp,

but I still have

some farmer friends

who I know can help me out.

So, for now, I'm

leaving Alaska behind,

and heading back

to the lower 48,

to visit a scientist

whose been aqua farming for

more than three decades.

Somebody who is as

comfortable in hip waders

as he is in lab coat.

Awesome!

This is Thorndyke Bay.

Wow!

Meet Doctor Joth

Davis, a well-known aquatic farmer

who runs marine farms

around Hood Canal Washington.

So this shellfish farm

is on about 30 acres.

This is so different

than being out on the water.

Yeah, it's real different.

I told Joth

about Seagrove and their need to increase revenue.

So, he wanted to show me

some of the other species that

he cultivates in water, to

see if it spurs any ideas.

We might still be at sea farm,

but I'm feeling more at

home walking on solid ground.

I started the farm

with my late wife back in 1990.

We just started

farming oysters and clams.

My son, Caleb, he's

out here waiting for us.

So, this is

pretty much a family farm?

It is a

totally family farm, yeah.

Hey Caleb.

Hey.

Hey guys. How's it going?

Let me

introduce you to Indy.

How is going?

I'm Indy nice to meet you.

I'm Caleb. Nice to

meet you, how's it going?

What's going on out

here is Caleb is moving some

gear around for

harvesting geoduck.

Joth farms

various shellfish,

as well as kelp at

his Washington farms,

so I know I'm in

for some great advice,

and some

interesting seafood.

These things are very

high value each clam is, oh,

probably worth

about $30, $40.

No way!

Yeah.

It's a total delicacy in Asia.

There it is, there it is!

What?

Woo-hoo!

No!

A geoduck is

the largest species of burrowing clams in existence,

and Joth exports

these delicacies to Asia,

where they're

more widely eaten.

These clams are

definitely unique,

but I think Mark

should go with a crop that's a bit more mainstream.

I need to see what

else Joth has here.

We'll bring it home.

Oh, nice.

Yeah.

Let's go see some oysters

before the tide comes in.

Two good things about

marine farming oysters;

A, they don't walk away

Mm-hmm.

Right?

And you don't

have to feed 'em,

which is very unlike

like cows or chickens.

These are, these are oysters.

You can see the oysters

in here, and we'll open them up.

I just, I just pulled

an oyster out of a bag.

Do you wanna,

wanna shuck it?

So, what I do is I go

through the back of the oyster,

which is called the hinge.

So, I get in there about a

quarter inch with the knife,

and I kinda turn it

like I'm starting a car,

pull the shell off.

Wanna try it?

Jeez, yeah. Cheers.

Cheers.

There you go.

That is delicious.

.

Oysters are

popular and taste amazing.

They would be a great

product to grow and sell,

but Seagrove doesn't have

a beach like this where they

can farm oysters

in these cages.

You can adapt all of

this gear to growing oysters

with kelp, that's

the beauty of it.

That's

music to my ears.

So, if you already had a kelp

farm and you're already kind of

familiar with this lifestyle,

do you think that this adding in

oysters could be

profitable and

Oh, I do.

The costs of getting involved

with marine farming, it's,

it's expensive to put in

the moorings, and the anchors,

and the ropes,

and all those things.

Yeah.

Then you have,

instead of one crop,

you have two crops, that

you're able to pull out of the water.

If equipment for

cultivating oysters can be adapted for a kelp farm,

that would be

perfect for Mark and Tiff.

Since oysters can

be farmed year-round,

Seagrove could offer

even more job opportunities.

Oyster farming is nothing

new, but combining kelp and oysters

in the same growing space,

now that's an exciting surprise.

So, I'm back out on the water

with Joth and the manager of

his kelp farm, Charlie.

You can see the

farm right out in front of us.

Wow, where's your

tractor? JOTH: You're in it.

.

Doctor Joth Davis

is an aquatic farmer,

but he also has a Ph.D.

in fishery science.

So, he doesn't just

grow kelp, he studies it.

The original reason

for us even trying to grow kelp

out here was looking to see

if growing seaweeds could help

the levels of

acidification in Hood canal.

There's a lot of

dissolved carbon dioxide in the surface waters here.

And so, it turns all the

waters just slightly acidic,

and so what happens, kelp

actually takes up some of

the extra carbon in the water.

We've always thought of

ourselves as trying to do

regenerative sea farming.

I realize Doctor Joth

is on the same mission as

the folks at Seagrove.

He wants to grow

an amazing product,

but he also cares a

lot about the environment.

What are the

effects of acidification?

Like

Ah, yes.

You know, what

are you exactly seeing?

Some organisms that

require a shell, like oysters,

they actually are unable to

fully build their shells now,

because of the just a little

bit of acidity in sea water.

And it's mainly due to

all the carbon dioxide we're pumping into the air,

and that is having an

effect on the oceans.

So, what we're trying

to do here on a very,

very small scale is, at

least see if we can change

the chemistry of the water

coming through this farm.

We also wanna be able to

grow the seaweeds in close proximity

to the oysters that

we're also growing here.

All right, yeah, let's,

let's see these oysters.

All right,

let's go see some oysters.

I'll drive.

You wish.

One of our goals is to

figure out, the really,

the best way to put the

seaweed and the oysters

right next to each other,

because we know that if you can

take a little bit of carbon out

of the water and make the water

a little less acidic, that's

good for the oysters to make

the shells of the oysters

a little bit stronger.

We got oysters.

Oh, that's awesome!

Oh!

It's amazing to see how the

oyster cages have been adapted

to fit perfectly

within the kelp farm.

This is

definitely something that Seagrove could do in Alaska.

They grow from

about now through October,

when there's lots of

plankton in the seawater.

If you

already have a kelp farm,

then adding on oysters is

kind of like a no brainer?

Totally,

because the oysters love the plankton that's in the water,

the kelp is sucking up carbon,

and together we think that, boy,

growing kelp and, and

shellfish is the thing to do.

And you don't have

to feed them anything at all?

You don't

feed them anything, no.

We don't add anything,

they're just eating

what's natural to

them in Hood Canal.

You kind of just plant

the seeds and you spread it out

into the ocean, and

there's a lot of letting nature,

and letting the ocean do

some of that work for you.

Oysters could potentially

thrive within a kelp farm

because of the

environment that kelp creates.

They seem like the

perfect complimentary crops for Seagrove.

Because Washington is so

much further south than Alaska,

the kelp harvesting

season is nearly over.

This is

classic sugar kelp.

You can sort of see, this

has been fouled a little bit,

because we normally

would have harvested this.

Okay.

And so, it's not

fouled with all the critters,

but we have some left over.

These little round

things are called bryozoans.

And so, this will probably

go into an organic garden.

Oh, nice.

This will be

good used as fertilizer,

or potentially

bio-fuels or other things.

My friends in

Alaska at Seagrove Farm

Yeah, yeah.

Um

I kind of want to

find something for them

where they can use

some of their kelp,

not just culinary

but for other applications.

So, pieces like this

that aren't food quality,

this is going to a, like,

traditional land farm?

We're working

with the farmers that will be taking the kelp,

and this is great stuff for,

for making organic soils better.

So, you think in

traditional agriculture,

there's a use,

there's a market for this?

Absolutely.

I think

there is, yes, absolutely.

People are figuring

out new uses all the time.

With any style of

farming, it's really important to get as

much out of one

crop as you can.

Correct.

This trip

was a two for one.

I figured out a

second crop for Seagrove to diversify their farm,

and learned about a

non-culinary use for their kelp.

Thank you so much

for having me.

You are so welcome.

This has been so helpful.

I can't wait to head

back to Alaska with all of this new information,

but I have one more stop

in Washington State to make

before I can head back north.

Joth connected me

with his colleague,

Doctor Eli Wheat, an

environmental studies professor

who runs a 20 acre organic

farm on South Whidbey Island.

Doctor Wheat is

experimenting with applications

of kelp in traditional

agriculture settings.

So, this is the farm?

This is the farm, yes.

Joth said you were

here to see some kelp.

I would love to

see your kelp in action.

Eli's farm is an integrated

vegetable and animal farm,

that uses an

ecosystem based approach,

and focuses on

regenerative agriculture.

So, I'm curious to

find out exactly how he is using the kelp.

Land and sea farms

uniting in perfect harmony.

Now, that's exciting.

And this, uh, is the kelp.

Wow!

I brought the kelp here

about a week and a half ago.

Oh, okay.

Um

And it's been

setting here to dry.

Well, you can smell it.

It smells a little

bit like the ocean, yeah?

Oh, it does, it does!

Oh, this is awesome!

It's, it's really

I just love it there's

It's just

so cool, just like a

Like kelp in

the middle of a farm right now.

Yeah. Yeah.

What we see is that

when we put the kelp down,

the grass just starts

to grow so much better.

It's kinda of phenomenal.

Wow!

This was 2100 pounds,

so that's about a ton.

This is what a ton

of kelp looks like.

How much area

are you applying the kelp to?

Maybe half an acre,

more or less.

So a ton per half acre?

You really couldn't

get enough kelp on a farm.

You couldn't

get enough kelp.

But one of the big

questions is, like,

how can we extend them,

the benefit of kelp?

Is there some way to, like,

super dry it and make

something like a kelp pellet, right,

that you can just

spread across your fields?

Right!

Almost like even mulch with it.

Absolutely.

And so, these are the

questions that we're currently exploring

on this farm so that we

can pull nutrients out of

the nearshore system where

it's causing a lot pollution,

and bring those nutrients

and this carbon up here into

the grasslands where it's

gonna stimulate production.

The idea is that

this kelp is drawing carbon

out of the ocean.

It's the craziest thing

Yeah, yeah.

I just love it.

Some carbon dioxide

that ends up in the atmosphere

is absorbed by the oceans.

And as Doctor

Joth Davis mentioned,

excess carbon causes the

sea water to have increased acidity.

Kelp in the ocean,

much like plants on land,

draw carbon dioxide in and

take it out of their surroundings.

But as Eli points out,

when that kelp is

transferred to land,

the soil stores the

carbon and can benefit

from the seaweed's nutrients.

In the ocean, nitrogen

and carbon are an issue.

And so, then the

kelp takes it up,

like a little vehicle, and

then you just take it here and

put it in the soil.

Wow!

We're benefiting

the marine system, and then

we can start to

benefit the terrestrial system.

That, that's

honestly so freaking cool.

I think it's super

exciting the thing about

how this could be a piece of

what we do to address some of

the big challenges

with climate change.

Yeah.

Eli is one of those people

with contagious enthusiasm.

Really passionate

about the work,

but also cares

about the environment.

But what I also love about

this is, like, it didn't come in

any kind of packaging

and you sourced it locally.

So, this is stored carbon,

and we can take

this stored carbon,

put it out on

grassland or pastures,

and those grasslands

can sequester more carbon,

putting it down in

the soil and storing it.

You know, I

grew up around of lot of traditional agricultural farms,

and so bringing

something like this,

something that's

exciting into the market,

something that's new,

as a farmer, it's, like,

we're spending money

to get carbon rich materials,

and here it is just

hanging out in the ocean.

And you're putting

it into your soil,

and then you're growing

some really nice grass,

but then what are you

doing with that grass?

Grass. It does

require some grazers.

So, we should go look

at some of the pastures.

Oh! Oh yeah?

Should we go check them out?

Wow, bye seaweed.

If Eli needs a ton of kelp

just to fertilize half an acre,

I'm sure he could use

another supplier like Seagrove.

Bulk agricultural sales

like this could wildly expand

Seagrove's kelp markets.

So, I'm excited to see

the impact of this kelp on the soil in the pasture,

and I cannot wait to see

who is reaping the benefits.

Let's go

meet the grazers.

Oh, no! What!

Hey goats.

.

Oh my gosh. Babies!

What's this one's name?

Mugwort.

I love that.

So, you're

incorporating seaweed into this field where they graze?

Yeah, we

have been adding kelp.

What we wanna do is

change the form of carbon,

and we wanna put it

some place where it can stay for a long time.

And it turns out.

Soils that aren't

being tilled are really good

stable storage

location for carbon.

It's like

taking a poison and

finding a good

place to hide it away.

Right.

And it's having this

added in bonus of helping, like,

produce more food, right?

Right.

Tell me again how you're

getting the seaweed into this area.

We've literally got a

dump truck load of seaweed,

and we spread it

out on the soil.

Where the seaweed was,

the grass is like dark,

and green, and lush.

What!

So, you can actually see

the difference in the soil

where you've

added seaweed?

Everything

about the grass is, like, healthier, bigger, stronger.

So, we're like, well,

it's so obvious.

It's amazing

how this all works.

The goats, the soil

the farm, and the environment

are all reaping

the benefits of kelp.

You could use

more seaweed, right?

I could

always use more seaweed.

Well, that's amazing,

because I have these friends

at Seagrove Farm in Alaska,

so if you could use

seaweed year round.

Oh wow! For sure.

And they could

always use someone to sell their seaweed to.

I think

there's no limit, you know?

There's a lot of

farms like this right here in,

in Western Washington, so.

Right.

I wanna help contribute to

that mission of, of farming in

a way that's incredible for

the soil, great for the planet,

and then you're also

feeding your community.

Mm-hmm.

So, I think I'm gonna

go get you some more seaweed.

Oh, heck yeah.

Yeah.

.

And Mugwort,

catch you next time, buddy.

I'm floored by

Eli's discoveries,

and of the seemingly

endless possibilities

that kelp has to offer.

Now I'm excited to

get back to Seagrove and

share all that I've learned.

I'm so glad

you could come.

I'm so glad that I

could come and see all of this.

Mark has a lot of

work to do to get this company a financial boost but

I have a few surprises

that I think will help Seagrove.

One of my gifts

requires a big boat,

so I hitched a ride to the

kelp farm with Mark's friend,

Captain Vaughn.

He's a local

commercial fisherman who helms the Anna Lyn.

So, that's them.

We're pretty close, yeah?

That, that

is the Glacier Breeze.

Shall we call him?

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mark is out with the

team harvesting kelp.

We're supposed to meet up,

but he doesn't know I'm arriving

aboard his friends boat.

This is the Anna

Lyn. This is Anna Lyn calling

VAUGHN

Glacier Breeze. Channel 16, over.

Anna Lyn,

Glacier Breeze.

I have a

surprise for you.

MARK

Yeah, I was wondering. I didn't expect you out here.

What's going on?

Mark.

Yes?

This is Indy.

Indy!

What's

going on, Indy?

Hi.

I'm back, baby.

INDAY

Can't wait to see you

I've got something

really awesome to show you.

All right, all right.

MARK

Yeah, come along port side.

Farm Rescue on a boat ♪

I'm just so

excited that I'm getting to surprise Mark in this way.

Hi!

It's incredible.

Hi.

Indy!

Hey.

Welcome back.

Yes, and I

didn't come back alone.

Joth, is that you?

Hey!

What are

you doing here?

Doctor Joth Davis

agreed to come with me

all the way back to Alaska.

Joth is an

aquatic farming legend, so,

of course Mark

recognized him right away.

Well, welcome

to Doyle Bay, Joth.

I'm thrilled

to be here, Mark.

What's going on?

We're gonna

work on some oysters.

That is awesome!

Yeah!

I mean, you

should jump aboard.

We've got a bunch

to show you.

Joth convinced me that

cultivating oysters would be

the best way to help

diversify Seagrove's kelp farm,

and create more

year round work.

I mean, I explained the

farm to Joth, and he was, like,

"Perfect, could totally

be growing oysters there,"

so I'm excited to put

all this stuff to use and

throw it in the water,

and see what we can grow.

We're gonna drop

in a mooring of an anchor,

stretch out a long lines, about

200 feet of long line space.

And then, once that's set,

we'll go about putting some oyster,

small oyster

seeds into some cages,

and see how we can help you

grow oysters the very best you can.

Wow!

That is really cool.

Let's do it.

I would say we wanna

run the mooring in line with

your prevailing storm wind.

So we could

probably set one out here, and,

and run that way.

Yeah. Yeah.

Easy squeezy.

Joth is great.

I mean, he's such a wealth

of information and experience,

and to have that

resource available to us,

it has to make us better.

Woo-hoo.

We've set up new

anchors and buoy lines within

the parameter of the farm,

right next to the kelp.

Boop.

There we are.

Bye Buoy.

Okay.

Okay, we're on bottom.

We're on bottom.

Hey, great job!

That was awesome.

We got a strong line.

Ready to roll.

Now all that's left is to

bring out the stars of the show.

Oh wow, those are awesome.

Here we are.

Oh, cool.

Oh Mark,

look at these guys.

We brought you some

nice looking oyster seeds.

Babies.

Yeah.

Man!

Well, what kind

of oysters do we have?

These are

a Pacific Oysters,

pretty much the

staple oyster that's used all over the Pacific coast.

And it's a good species

for Alaska because it'll grow reasonably quickly,

even in the

cooler waters up here.

Well that's awesome.

So, kelps has gotten a lot of

attention lately as being a hero

for climate change, but

oysters are also an everyday hero.

They're phenomenal at

filtering out water to remove

excess nutrients, impurities,

they can filter gallons of water

through themselves

in a day, one oyster.

Wait, so, how

old are these little guys?

These are

probably six months to a year.

Look at that one.

That is so cute.

Much like kelp, farmed

shellfish are also often bred

and grown initially in

a nursery or hatchery.

Oysters, as Joth mentioned,

are a low impact,

low maintenance

miracle to your crop,

and generally

feed on phytoplankton, also known as micro algae,

which already

exists in seawaters.

Eventually, these are

gonna become half shell oysters,

perfect for serving

shucked on the half shell.

Oysters are high in

protein and rich in vitamins.

You can buy oysters

cultivated at a farm,

or harvested in the wild.

Farmed oysters grow more

quickly than those in the wild,

and their size and

shape is more consistent.

You wanna have about

50 oysters per square foot

of growing space.

We're, like, holding

your future farm right here.

This is so exciting.

I'm just, I'm, I'm thrilled.

Now we

get the fun stuff.

Joth is

giving Seagrove a leg up,

offering expert

advice on farming oysters

alongside kelp in

the Alaskan climate,

so Mark and his team

have the best chances of success in the oyster test run.

This is the first

seeding of oysters in Doyle Bay.

Like, two

thirds of a cup.

That is so cool.

You know, how often should

we come back to these and?

I would check, I would

check these every, if you can,

check 'em out

every week or so.

All right.

And what should we

be looking for when we're checking?

You wanna look to

see if there's a really,

really feathery growth edge

around the oyster itself.

Okay.

You wanna see that

they're actually starting to

grow a little bit, putting

on a little bit of shell.

It's amazing working

with Tiff and Mark to help make

their dream a reality, I have

so much respect for how well

they collaborate as a team.

So, these guys are happy.

We can throw

them in the ocean?

Yeah, we're ready

to throw these in the ocean.

Indy, you gonna help me?

Yeah, of course.

Let her rip.

Ah-ha!

Oysters in the water.

It's amazing.

Our first oysters, I love it.

First oysters

are over the side.

I love it.

I'm so excited

that I get to be a part of

this stage of Seagrove farm.

Putting in the first oyster felt

like planting the first seed.

And as Joth mentioned,

farming these oysters near the kelp

could really help

the shellfish to thrive.

How long are those

babies gonna take to grow?

They will start

growing within a week,

and you will probably have a

good sized oyster for markets in

at least two years,

something like that.

Mm-hmm. Okay.

Yeah.

Maybe a little longer.

Just depends.

I mean, one of the big things

we need to know about this site

is actually how well

the oysters grow, right?

Yeah.

This is so exciting to

see what it means for your farm.

Yeah!

To

To have this as an addition.

Shellfish

and seaweed together,

hopefully they'll

grow better with each other around themselves.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Plus, now you got a

whole other income stream, right?

Being able to grow oysters on

the same footprint as seaweed is

a really great way to really,

really increase your margins.

Speaking of

increasing their margins,

I've got even more

in store for Seagrove.

So, weren't you guys

harvesting kelp when I first showed up?

Yeah, we were

just getting into it.

Shall we get back to it?

Joth put Seagrove on the

right path to diversify their crops

and extend the

farming season.

But they still need to make

more money off their kelp,

and for that, they need to find

more partnerships with clients

who want to use kelp

for non-culinary products.

All right.

A little sample of

what we're harvesting out there.

Here, let's open this up.

Here, give me it here.

I'll help you out.

Oh yeah, thanks.

So, what do you say

could I, could I grab about 4,000 pounds of this?

I'm serious, because

Really?

Yeah.

Joth actually introduced

me to his friend, Eli,

who has this, you know,

traditional farm on land,

and Joth sells his kelp

to him to use as fertilizer.

Okay.

But your

seasons are kind of awesome,

because they

line up back to back.

So, once Joth kelp

season ends, yours begins.

Awesome!

So once Joth

isn't able to sell his kelp to the farm anymore,

that's when you

guys could pick up.

Well, that,

that sounds wonderful.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Excellent.

I think that this could

be a great resource for you.

Yeah, it'd be great.

And I'd love to see

how our sugar kelp helps.

Sweet.

Thank you so much, Joth.

Oh, my pleasure.

I know you

weren't planning on coming up to Alaska but

I, I loved it. I loved it!

I really wanna stay in

touch with the project,

so keep me in the loop.

Yeah, will do.

Yeah.

Mark and his

team are devoted to Alaska,

and believe their

kelp business will help both

the local community

and the environment.

They've taken the first step

in diversifying their crops,

but it'll take time before

we know if the oysters will

flourish at their Alaskan site.

Thank you very much.

Thank you and thank you.

Yes, of

course! Of course.

They've also been connected

with a non-culinary collaborator

in Doctor Eli Wheat, but

they'll need to pursue even more

partnerships once I'm gone to

continue to grow their business.

I can't wait to see the

progress Seagroves makes

in a couple of months.

As Mark would say, I've done

what I can to kelp them out.

The rest is up to them.

It's been a

little over a month since

I was up north in Alaska.

I'm anxious to

see Mark and Tiff,

and see how things are going

at Seagrove, and the kelp farm.

Hey.

Hey Indy!

How are you?

Can I jump on?

Yeah, welcome aboard.

Oh, yeah.

I left them with

a second crop, oysters.

Oysters in the water.

And a new potential

partnership to help diversify

their products, in

which their kelp is used.

I just hope it was

enough to keep Mark and

Seagrove on course.

We're just

finishing up harvest this week.

That's awesome.

I know!

There's so much

kelp in the water,

we're about two or

three weeks behind where we thought we would be,

so it's a good

problem to have, really.

Yeah. Yeah.

Some of

these fronds, they're like ten, 15 feet in length,

which is almost

the double the size

we've seen in previous years.

Seagrove has a

massive supply to unload.

I bet Doctor Eli Wheat

will be thrilled to receive

this abundance of

kelp for the farm pasture.

So, who are the folks that are

harvesting the seaweed here?

The harvesting crew

is led by two brothers,

and they're actually growing

the kelp and then selling it.

Wow.

So, it's part

of the relationship,

so rather than just

earning a wage, you know,

like this year, we

had a great crop and

they get to benefit from it.

They're able to

actually profit personally from

the work that they're doing?

I love that model.

This provides a

completely new opportunity,

primarily for salmon

fishermen, to diversify what they're doing.

All of these fishing boats

would otherwise be sitting at the dock

and not working

if it weren't for the opportunity that this presents.

As Mark

mentioned in my last visit,

Alaska is home to many

fishermen and women who

often rely on seasonal work.

With the kelp farm,

they have more potential employment opportunities.

Seeing them

hiring more people and

reaching out to

the local community,

and other individuals

who have different ideas,

and bringing in

that level of ingenuity

is what makes a farm a

vibrant place of work.

It has been such a

pleasure to have Indy come here

and see what we're doing,

and as importantly why we're doing it.

We want everybody

to be vested in,

and want it to be successful,

and I hope it's a model

that will go beyond just us.

Yeah.

All right, let's

go see those oysters.

Hey, I'm excited.

See you soon.

In addition to

the ever growing harvest,

the oyster test run is key to

ensuring more year round jobs

for the local fishermen.

Oh wow, easy.

All right.

Which one?

Oh, that's a good one.

Yeah.

All right,

let's go take a look.

I really hope

they've thrived in the icy Alaskan waters of Doyle Bay.

Let's see how we did.

You ready?

I'm ready.

Yeah! Oh my gosh!

Yeah, these are

huge compared to before.

Mm-hmm.

Look at them!

I know, and

they're all frilly!

Getting a nice cup

forming on those too.

I mean, all

of that right there,

that's all new growth

since we put 'em in.

What I'm most

struck by is the size

that the oysters have reached.

After less than two months

seeing that they've grown

exponentially makes me

excited for the future of Seagrove.

Oh man, so they're

happy here.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, you

guys are doing it.

Mm-hmm.

We're starting,

and it's a great start.

They've

taken oysters on as their new project and run with it.

Oh, nice.

Until next time, oysters.

Next year,

there'll be hundreds of rows of oyster trays,

just like that, out there with

millions of oysters in there.

Imagine that vision.

That's the dream,

that's the dream.

Indy bringing Joth up to

Alaska has been instrumental in

getting us started

with our oyster journey.

And so, we're excited

about including oysters in what

we're doing so we can have

year round work available for people

that are employed with us.

If all goes to plan,

they'll seed the

farm every year,

and since oysters

grow at different rates,

they'll harvest them

as they become mature.

That harvest was insane.

It's a good

year for sugar kelp.

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Optimistic for

what they might be able to produce in the future.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

And then, have you

found other ways to

bring your

seaweed to the market?

Yeah, we've actually,

we've been working with a lot of

product developers on their

products that they wanna sell.

Like what?

Well

Well, so we've got

some examples to show you.

Show and tell time.

So a woman who

grew up as a fisherman in Cordova, Alaska,

she used our

ribbon kelp to come up with

a number of these

really cool skincare products.

So cool! What!

Yeah, really cool.

This is awesome.

I'm so glad that you

guys have been able to do this.

You have so much seaweed.

Getting it out

into products like this,

this is exactly

what I imagined.

There's so many cool

concepts that are coming out of

the seaweed world right now,

not just this but bio plastics,

and a whole host of

different products that

they're making out of

seaweed because it's so versatile.

Like Doctor Eli Wheat down

at the University of Washington

using it for fertilizer

in their organic beds.

It's a no brainer, yeah.

Seaweed belongs

in our world.

There's a community of

support that's building across Alaska,

where we're all learning from

each other and we're all helping

each other grow,

because everyone needs to be successful to,

to make this thing happen.

Thank you

both for, honestly,

for converting me

into a kelp nerd.

And also seeing how

you're not only creating all of these incredible products,

but also putting

local folks to work.

And Indy, really,

thank you for coming up and

bringing a, this

new opportunity.

It's really, it's

really been a special time and we really appreciate it.

Mark has a lot of

passion about the work he does.

He cares deeply

about this community,

and I think that's so

much of that stems from

his upbringing here in Alaska.

This is the future of farming,

and it's doing it

in a way that's sustainable,

and that employs

local people and

makes growing

food exciting again.

I think that farming is fun.

Mark and Tiff are extremely

knowledgeable about kelp.

Thank you, come,

come back next year,

we'll have

oyster feed right here.

Thank you.

Sounds so good.

And Mark is always

the optimist.

But more importantly,

they have dedication to

their farm to the environment,

and to the people

with whom they live and work,

it's a commitment I

admire in any farmer working

the land or the sea.