Seaweed... oh, 'scuse me, sea vegetables

[WeRtheOcean]

As a vegetarian, I have no use for underwater hunting in the usual sense; however, I do harvest and use edible sea vegetables. In Washington State, this is a popular enough activity that it is a regulated fishery, with licenses, bag limits, and closures. As I am not (yet?) a diver, I am limited to those occurring in the intertidal zone, or that wash up on the beach; but I know there are many more found only subtidally, including the most useful kelps. I am posting this hoping there are other sea vegetable pickers here, who can offer perspectives on pursuing these resources underwater, through diving.

 

[Johnoly]

..... I do harvest......

Just curious, but what does a wholesaler pay for a pound of your type of sea weed? I've seen lionfish in retail stores going for upwards of $20 a pound.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

That's a good question, Johnoly. I don't know the answer because I haven't done it commercially. I dry and store it for my own use. In the Puget Sound region is mainly laver (a.k.a. nori) and sea lettuce, and when I go to the ocean beaches, I find dulse and kelp.