First Ever Sugar Kelp Harvested From Port Jefferson Harbor

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — Something edible is growing in Port Jefferson Harbor. A group of volunteers collected the first ever sugar kelp harvest this week, part of an effort to improve water quality in the harbor.

A group of local residents called the Setauket Harbor Task Force first brought sugar kelp to Setauket Harbor in 2020. The algae, a wild yellow-brown variety from Asia, is becoming popular in the U.S. for his nutritional qualities. It's high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and can be dried as a supplement or used as a sweetener, according to the NOAA. It's also used as a thickening agent in food and cosmetics and even has potential as a biofuel.

Setauket Harbor Task Force launched a new clean water initiative this passed winter. At the end of December 2020, we installed a series of anchors and lines in Setauket Harbor to grow sugar kelp during the winter months.

The Setauket Harbor Task Force, with support from Brookhaven Town, installed anchors in lines in the harbor to grow the kelp over the winter.

The sugar kelp "is known to remove C02 and excess nitrogen from coastal waters and is fast becoming a new high protein super food that is used for food flavoring, pet food and natural fertilizer," the group says.