Recap of the 3rd annual California Seaweed Festival

We celebrated the 3rd annual California Seaweed Festival October 7th-8th at the Estuarine and Ocean Science Center, SFSU, in Tiburon, CA, surrounded by gorgeous views of San Francisco Bay. The two-day event attracted over 700 registrants over 3 sessions. Day 1 started with the Friday evening seaweed walk led by Dr. Kathy Ann Miller from UC Berkeley on the waterfront of EOS. Kathy Ann regaled the crowd with stories of many macroalgae inhabiting the shores of the Bay, and the outer coast. The poster session and networking event at the Bay Conference Center included an opportunity to sample Hog Island Oysters, Sunken Seaweed's salad made with fresh ogo from the Cultured Abalone Farm, Kelpful sea sprinkles and hard cider made with Alaria from Daybreak Seaweed.

The evening program included a welcome from the Director of EOS, and presentations on seaweed research and outreach opportunities with CSU COAST and California Sea Grant. Plenary speakers, Dr. Simona Augyte and Josie Iselin, shared phycological stories, inspiration, and artworks along their paths from CSU students to prospering careers with seaweed.

Day 2 was the all-day extravaganza we have come to expect at the California Seaweed Festival with music, tasting workshops, vendors, panels and scientific talks. Activities for all ages included our seaweed touch tank, print making, hanging with a mermaid, live music and tasting treats. We had seafood cooking demos and a workshop on teaching/learning about seaweeds using digital tools.

Panel discussions covered Marine Plant Based Foods, Seaweed Business and Product Development, Art and Algae: Creative Action Towards Kelp Restoration, and Blue Carbon and Climate with speakers from across the spectrum of disciplines and as far away as Australia. Short science talks were presented by speakers from universities across the state including Stanford, CSUN, SDSU, Cal Poly Humboldt, SJSU, Sonoma State, SFSU and UCSD. This year, we featured seaweed expertise in the CSU system, which is impressive. Larry Knowles wrapped up the presentations with a wide-ranging talk about the History of Seaweed Harvesting in Northern California. The ocean-view vendor marketplace was busy all day selling seaweed themed art, crafts and food.  

As always, the California Seaweed Festival was a day of celebrating seaweeds and the ecosystems that support them. We thank all our volunteers, sponsors, and donors. We could not do this without your support!

We will be heading back south for the 4th California Seaweed Festival, in October 2023. Stay tuned and follow us on social media to learn more!