About

Over 50 years of experience harvesting and processing the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum on the coast of Maine.

Our founder, Robert Morse, saw a need for more natural products in crop and livestock production. Lucky for him the answer was quite literally in his backyard.

Robert began hand harvesting Rockweed from local seaweed beds in Boothbay Harbor, Maine; the same wild seaweed beds we harvest from over 50 years later.

Robert was a pioneer in the seaweed biologicals market, joining with like-minded visionaries to demonstrate the benefits of seaweed extracts on crop production. This culminated in the registration of the product Nitrozyme with the EPA in 1981, as a growth stimulant on plants. Nitrozyme’s legacy lives on in North American Kelp’s lineup of seaweed-based biostimulants and fertilizers for agronomic and horticultural use.

After all this time we still hold true to the principles set forth on Maine’s rocky coastline all those years ago. We may be a little larger in scale and scope now, but we still make seaweed products the way nature intended them; to nurture and grow from the ground up.

If you’re looking for a vertically-integrated supplier for Ascophyllum nodosum we hope you’ll get in touch with us. We’d love to see how our products can help you.

It all starts on the Maine coastline with wild harvested seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum. From sustainable and responsible harvesting practices, our goal is to create safe and effective minimally-processed products from this renewable resource.

Time Honored Traditions

The Gulf of Maine has long been recognized for its rich marine biodiversity. Embracing both heritage and sustainability, Maine’s seaweed harvesters play a crucial role in preserving their coastal culture while contributing to the burgeoning seaweed industry.

Harvesters

We’ve been working with our independent harvesters for decades. They are well-versed in the rocky Maine coastline, and have a vested interest in continued sustainability practices. The mechanical harvesting vessels they use ensure no bycatch leaves the water, just seaweed.

A Little off the Top

Rockweed has the amazing ability to regrow from its holdfast. A light pruning allows more sunlight and nutrients into the bed, which keeps the seaweed healthy and growing year after year.

Eye to the Future

Rockweed is one of Maine’s renewable, natural resources. We harvest each sector on rotation to avoid overharvesting, ensuring the seaweed flourishes for generations to come.

Our Products

Ascophyllum nodosum‘s rich profile of macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace elements – not to mention its suitability for sustainable harvesting – is just the beginning when it comes to this seaweed. Read on to find out why Ascophyllum nodosum products have been the industry powerhouse for decades.

First and foremost, A. nodosum is a uniquely resilient intertidal seaweed. The upper rocky intertidal zone along the North Atlantic coastline is a challenging place to grow, with significant seasonal, daily, and even hourly fluctuations in temperature, light exposure, salinity, and mechanical disturbance from wave action and storms. Despite these challenges, A. nodosum is often the dominant seaweed in the rocky intertidal throughout its range, owing to the broad repertoire of stress-managing molecules produced by the seaweed and its associated microbiota. These molecules, including osmoprotectants and powerful antioxidants, can be extracted and used to control abiotic stresses in plants.
Second, Ascophyllum nodosum and other brown seaweeds are heterokonts. Despite commonly being referred to as seaplants, brown seaweeds are actually most closely related to microorganisms like diatoms and water molds (oomycetes) and have a biochemical profile to match. The polysaccharides and fatty acids that brown seaweeds share with oomycete pathogens like pythium and phytophthora can help foster soil microbes that feed on these pathogens, and can help prime plant defenses – the plant version of a vaccine to give crops an advantage when they encounter these pathogens in the field.
Finally, Ascophyllum nodosum is an abundant source of soil-building polysaccharides. These sticky carbs help to connect soil particles and plant roots, store nutrients, and retain soil moisture. Benefits are most pronounced on soils that are short on organic matter, where the application of seaweed products can pave the way for the establishment and recovery of soil ecology for long-lasting benefits and remediation.

Interested in learning
more?

In a sea of seaweed questions, we’ve got answers.