Ocean Farming, Kelp, and California: A Solution to the Global Fertilizer Crisis
Some of you already know this, but for those who don't: the War in Iran has created a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea passage through which one fifth of the world's oil and one third of the world's fertilizer passes. Prices for both and diesel and fertilizer have skyrocketed and farmers everywhere from Iowa to Ethiopia are severely affected. Given that the Northern Hemisphere growing season runs from mid-February through early May, this couldn't have come at a worse time.
The result is a food crisis that is slowly unfolding and will become more and more apparent at your grocery store (yes, even Costco will feel the burn). But it doesn't have to be this way and the solution could help your local lineup. Kelp.
Not only does kelp help keep lineups smooth against chop from the relentless onslaught of onshore winds, it also has a myriad of applications ranging from food to fuel to fertilizer. Unfortunately, the Golden State is far behind it's peers in New England where ocean farming is alive and well. Meanwhile, California hasn't issued a new permit in over 25 years and that was to Hog Island Oyster Co who, by all accounts, have shown that ocean farming can be a net positive operation.
First, a little background. The fertilizer most at risk is "urea", a synthetic nitrogen compound that has become the backbone of global industrial agriculture since its mass adoption in the 1950s. Urea prices have already spiked 40% since the Strait closed. Although it is the world's most widely used synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, and a big reason the modern food system feeds eight billion people, it's not exactly harmless.
On the other hand, humans have been farming the sea for fertilizer longer than we've been writing things down. The ancient Greeks and Romans used beach castings on their fields. China and Japan both have a long history of farming the sea. In 1308, King Dinis of Portugal signed a royal decree mandating the trade of sargaço, a local seaweed used to increase agricultural yields (which we mentioned in our piece on this Nazaré kelp farm). Scotland, Ireland, Norway, and Brittany all built thriving kelp industries in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the Irish Famine, coastal farmers hauled seaweed from the shore to keep their potato crops alive. The practice was only abandoned in the 20th century when synthetic fertilizers became cheaper to produce. Not better. Cheaper.
Throughout the past 100 years, once-fertile American farmland has become very nutrient poor due to industrial agricultural practices, like mono-cropping and synthetic fertilizer use, that prioritize yields over soil heath. Preciely why regenerative organic farming is all the rage, it recognizes soil health as a key element, not just for yields, but for human health as well.
The Case for Kelp
The comparison between modern synthetics and ancient organics like kelp, seaweed, and composting tells a familiar story of short-term gains over long-term health. Synthetics win on raw concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ratio that drives immediate yields. Kelp can't match that. Where kelp reigns supreme is that it contains over 70 minerals, vitamins, and natural growth hormones that improve soil structure, water retention, and build long-term crop resilience against drought, frost, and pests. Long-term, fields treated with kelp get healthier and so do the consumers (you are what you eat). Fields treated only with synthetics get depleted over time and nearby waterways get contaminated. One builds, the other destroys.
Which brings us to California, a state that claims to lead the world in innovation yet has fallen badly behind in this sector. Home to some of the most productive coastal waters in the world and a coastline that stretches nearly 900 miles, the state is ripe for a new revenue stream. Show me one surfer who wouldn't like to see kelp providing better waves and new jobs on the water. Show me one fisherman who wouldn't appreciate a more biodiverse coastal area brimming with abundant fish and marine life. Show me one politician who wouldn't want to claim credit for creating new jobs and immensely adding to the GDP.
Unfortunately, we really need help from the politicians because there are so many regulations that it is all but impossible in the current framework. The irony is that the same regulations that were set out to protect our coast are also the same ones that make it so hard to do so.
In 2024, I wrote a story about the Fish Reef Project, led by Chris Goldblatt, which has helped revive a patch of kelp in Goleta Bay that was wiped out during the El Nino of '82. It took Goldblatt ten years to get the pilot permit and, even though the project has been a huge success applauded by the government, the military, and the university system, it still faces an ungodly amount of red tape before it can scale up. This needs to change.
California's Untapped Coastline
There are approximately 3.4 million acres of coastal state waters virtually none of which are being actively farmed. A network of small, cooperatively owned kelp farms along the California coast — modeled on the fishing co-ops that already exist — would generate between $750 and $10,000 per acre annually, create jobs for surfers and fishermen during their off-season, and tap into a U.S. seaweed market already worth nearly $2 billion. These farms would be nothing like the gnarly fish farms that get a bad rep around the world, these would be clean enterprises that require zero inputs and help nourish the surrounding waters.
By some estimates, creating ocean farms throughout just 5% of the California coast could create 50,000 jobs. More importantly, it would begin restoring the kelp forest ecosystems that have been devastated in recent decades. That means more fish, cleaner waves, locally produced fertilizer, and AI-proof jobs.
The goal isn't to turn California into the world's kelp suppliers because shipping things across the world is part of the problem we are dealing with now. The model is local resilience: coastal communities farming their own waters, feeding their own agricultural regions, and proving that the blueprint works. From New England to Norway to the Philippines, every coastline in the world has the raw material. What they need is proof of concept, and California — with its scientific infrastructure, its surfing and fishing communities, and its history of leading progressive movements — is the right place to build it.
Our prayers our for the war to end as soon as possible. Our actions should be towards building resilience for the future, whatever it may hold. All of the pieces are in place for this to be a bold new industry. The only thing missing is the political will to get out of its way.