Kelponomics: The state of the North American kelp economy

The North American kelp sector is growing in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. In part, this expansion is due to the enthusiasm around the sector’s promise for environmental, social, economic, and climate benefits. However, these Blue Economy goals may not be inherently realized by Indigenous Nations and coastal communities where kelp industries operate. To investigate the status of the kelp-economy in North America, we compiled a database of 300 kelp-related organizations from across North America and gave each a score from 1–4 for community participation as a proxy for community-derived benefit. We then looked at broader political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) factors at the state/province level to evaluate which enabled community participation. Finally, we used a cluster analysis to group states/provinces into broader regions based on their PESTLE variables. We found that factors that influence community participation included state-level political legislation (local adoption of UNDRIP), regional economic support/planning, public support of seaweed mariculture, initial permitting investment, and environmental trends reflected in wild kelp abundance. Of the regions evaluated, Canadian provinces had the strongest enabling conditions (highest PESTLE scores) and had higher participation than other clusters. Overall, we recommend that if the North American kelp-economy aims to meet the social-environmental goals of the Blue Economy, additional effort should be directed by state/provincial powers towards enabling greater community participation, particularly of Indigenous Nations, in areas engaged with the kelp-economy. Further, we discuss how seaweed-specific legislation, species reporting, authentic collaboration, and inter-industry connections may progress these goals.