Branford Farm Becomes First To Sell Kelp From Long Island Sound As Food

A Branford sea farm has done something no other farm has done before: sold kelp farmed in Long Island Sound as a food product.

Thimble Island Oyster Company, a Branford-based sea farm that raises mussels, oysters, clams and now kelp, recently sold 120 pounce of fresh kelp farmed in the waters near the Thimble Islands to New York City restaurants, according to the Associated Press. This was the first time fresh kelp has been sold from Long Island Sound as food, according to the AP.

Thimble Island Oyster Company was able to build the kelp farm with help from the Connecticut Sea Grant, which is based out of the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus, according to the AP. Connecticut Sea Grant is investing in cultivation techniques for growing kelp and other seaweeds, and hopes it paves the way for more kelp farms in the future, according to the AP.

Thimble Island Oyster sold the kelp fresh, but it also has the ability to freeze it and sell it, so it lasts longer, according to the AP. Officials hope that if kelp farming takes off, it will give lobstermen who lost business when the lobster population declined the chance to repurpose their boats for seaweed farming, according to the AP.

Kelp is used in a variety of food products, such as soups and salads, according to the AP. Chefs are also working on developing new food products using the seaweed, like kelp ice cream, cocktails and pickles, according to the AP.

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Editor's Note: The original story was updated as Connecticut Sea Grant did not directly give funds to the Thimble Island Oyster Company.