The United States’ seaweed industry is worth over $300 million annually thanks in part to the rising popularity of seaweed-based products. Seaweed has myriad uses and great potential for novel product innovation and development while also providing numerous environmental benefits including carbon and nitrogen sequestration and other crucial ecosystem services . One of the most promising and prevalent species under domestic cultivation is Saccharina latissma. Also known as sugar kelp, this abundantly grown cold-water species dominates the edible seaweed market in the United States . This paper provides an in-depth geographical analysis of the current state of the U.S. sugar kelp industry, comparing regional market differences and opportunities for growth in Maine, Alaska, and Connecticut. Data was collected from the 2020 National Sea Grant Seaweed Symposium (https://seaweedhub.org/symposium/) and through a series of semi-structured interviews with key industry participants, yielding insights into the challenges that seaweed stakeholders face across the country. Proposed solutions for increasing the profitability of sugar kelp are explored and include market differentiation through regional origin labels, eco-labels, and quality labels.

美国的海藻产业每年价值超过 3 亿美元，部分原因是海藻产品越来越受欢迎。海藻在新产品创新和开发方面具有多种用途和巨大潜力，同时还提供许多环境效益，包括碳和氮封存以及其他重要的生态系统服务。国内栽培的最有前途和最普遍的物种之一是Saccharina latissma. 这种大量生长的冷水物种也被称为糖海带，主导着美国的食用海藻市场。本文对美国糖海带行业的现状进行了深入的地理分析，比较了缅因州、阿拉斯加州和康涅狄格州的区域市场差异和增长机会。数据收集自 2020 年全国海洋资助海藻研讨会 (https://seaweedhub.org/symposium/)，并通过对主要行业参与者的一系列半结构化访谈，深入了解海藻利益相关者在全国面临的挑战。探讨了提高糖海带盈利能力的建议解决方案，包括通过区域原产地标签、生态标签和质量标签实现市场差异化。