One project which is being mooted for Lyme Bay is kelp farming: Could seaweed become a major part of the economy of the South West? – Vision Group for Sidmouth and A seagrass project for Lyme Bay? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
It was the key theme for this year’s Sea Fest: Kelp our Oceans: Help our Kelp – Vision Group for Sidmouth
And it was a key theme for the planned launch of CAPS earlier in the summer: Green events in May in the Sid Valley – Vision Group for Sidmouth
One of the many benefits proposed is that it could form a ‘carbon sink’: Kelp Is Weirdly Great at Carbon Removal – The Atlantic
In May 2021, a new venture emerged in Portland: Running Tide – Maine Technology Institute and Running Tide Technologies grows kelp then sinks it to pull carbon from the air | CNN Business
And this is what its website promises today: Running Tide is a global ocean health company that is rebalancing the carbon cycle by moving fast carbon back to slow through a multi-pathway system. Running Tide
However, concerns are rising: Running Tide Goes International, Elicits Both Hope and Criticism
To the extent that scientists are questioning the science: The venture-backed startup believes kelp could be a powerful tool to combat climate change. But some scientists fear the ecological risks on large scales. Running Tide is facing scientist departures and growing concerns | MIT Technology Review
This is something the CAPS project will be watching carefully…