Bord à bord and seaweed farming
Wild seaweed is part of our history, but working with this natural resource is a daily challenge for our team! Actually sometimes the picking can be hindered by climatic hazards such as heavy swell during winter storms, warming of the water or lack of light...
In this context seaweed farming is a hope for the future. This is why for 15 years, Bord à bord has supported projects in this activity.
How to grow seaweed?
There are different ways to grow an alga, depending on the family, the variety, the place ….
There are two main growing methods: sea farming on floating line, and land farming in seawater ponds.
Brittany and Portugal
We pick wild seaweed in Brittany. But seaweed farming is essential to limit the pressure on this resource.
Bord à bord has always been open about the origins of seaweed. The origin is specified on the packaging, for example on the classic seaweed tartare “Origin Brittany and Portugal”. Let’s stop on the second one: the Portuguese seaweed that we use into our recipes is sea lettuce, grown by the company Algaplus. This company is located in the Aveiro lagoon and grows seaweed in ponds supplied with seawater of high environmental quality, suitable for the growing of organic seaweed.
Seaweed farming in Brittany
We are already working in Brittany with seaweed farmers who cultivate seaweed in open sea, such as royal kombu or wakame.
For the other species cultivated on land, dulse, sea lettuce and nori, we have to find lands with an access to high quality sea water, to develop new projects.