Seaweed aquaculture is capable of removing large quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus from coastal ecosystems, yet seaweed has gained little traction for its potential role in targeted nutrient assimilation. Marine nutrient pollution is increasing around the world, contributing to expanding eutrophic conditions and co-occurring with other stressors that impact the state and stability of aquatic ecosystems. In the United States, climate change, legacy nitrogen, and nonpoint source pollution make it increasingly difficult to curb growing eutrophication and the associated effects, such as hypoxia (dissolved oxygen < 2 mgL^-1). Employing a synthetic semi-quantitative approach, we use the Gulf of Mexico as a case study – a U.S. priority area for aquaculture with substantial nutrient pollution and one of the largest hypoxic zones on the planet – to assess the potential for native seaweed aquaculture to augment upstream pollution control with downstream nutrient assimilation. Results from this analysis suggest that given growing market demand, new product pathways, and nutrient pollution markets, seaweed aquaculture may be a feasible tool for nutrient assimilation that could subsidize, if not pay for itself.

海藻水产养殖能够从沿海生态系统中去除大量的氮和磷，但由于其在定向养分吸收中的潜在作用，其吸引力却很小。海洋营养物污染在世界范围内日益增加，导致富营养化状况不断扩大，并与影响水生生态系统状态和稳定性的其他压力因素同时发生。在美国，气候变化，遗留氮和非点源污染使遏制日益增长的富营养化及其相关影响（例如缺氧（溶解氧<2 mgL ^-1）越来越困难））。我们采用合成半定量方法，以墨西哥湾为案例研究–美国水产养殖的重点地区，营养物质受到严重污染，并且是地球上最大的缺氧区域之一–评估了本土海藻水产养殖的增产潜力通过下游养分同化来控制上游污染。该分析的结果表明，鉴于不断增长的市场需求，新产品途径以及养分污染市场，海藻水产养殖可能是养分吸收的一种可行工具，如果不能自给自足，则可以提供补贴。