Most Americans will recognize sushi wrapped with thin savory sheets of dried seaweed or crispy seaweed squares tucked into the side of a bowl of steaming ramen, but this valuable sea vegetable is also widely used in cosmetics, animal feed, candies, salad dressings and to thicken products like ice cream and yogurt. Outside of a handful of small producers in California, Alaska and New England, the vast majority of seaweed used in the U.S. is imported from Asia, leaving us with an import-export deficit of more than $33 million. 

Shrimp, salmon, tuna, shellfish — it’s no secret the vast majority of seafood Americans enjoy are imported. Indeed, a whopping 85 percent of our seafood is brought in from other countries, with nearly half coming from farm-raised sources. Reducing America’s seafood trade deficit has been both a priority and a challenge, but solutions are on the horizon.

California Sea Grant is drafting a new strategic plan, and we want your input!

Every five years California Sea Grant updates and reevaluates our program’s strategic plan in an effort to ensure the diverse needs of California’s coastal communities and marine environment are in fact being met. Once completed, this year’s strategic plan will guide our work from 2024 to 2027.

When you think of algae, you may think of the slick, green organisms that coat surfaces of lakes and cling to rocky shorelines. But not all algae are slimy and buoyant: Coralline algae are hard, look similar to coral and form pink and purple mats on the seafloor. 

New research from California Sea Grant explores people’s motivations for fishing and eating catch from San Diego Bay, despite well-known health risks. Understanding these underlying meanings could help to craft more effective and socially-tailored consumption and health guidelines.