U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Close Promo Banner
Graphic celebrating Habitat Month with dark blue outlines of sea grass, a school of fish, and a bird
Graphic celebrating Habitat Month with dark blue outlines of sea grass, a school of fish, and a bird
NOAA Fisheries emblem
Menu
  • Find A Species
      • Find a Species
      • Dolphins & Porpoises
      • Fish & Sharks
      • Highly Migratory Species
      • Invertebrates
      • Sea Turtles
      • Seals & Sea Lions
      • Whales
      • Protected Species
      • All Threatened & Endangered Species
      • Marine Mammals
      • Species By Region
      • Alaska
      • New England/Mid-Atlantic
      • Pacific Islands
      • Southeast
      • West Coast
      • Helpful Resources
      • Marine Life Viewing Guidelines
      • Marine Life in Distress
      • Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
      • Species in the Spotlight
  • Fishing & Seafood
      • Sustainable Fisheries
      • Bycatch
      • Catch Shares
      • Fishery Observers
      • Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported Fishing
      • Magnuson-Stevens Act
      • Research Surveys
      • Population Assessments
      • Resources for Fishing
      • Commercial Fishing
      • Recreational Fishing
      • Subsistence Fishing
      • Fishery Management Info
      • Permits & Forms
      • Rules & Regulations by Region
      • Sustainable Seafood
      • Seafood Profiles
      • Aquaculture
      • Commerce & Trade
      • Seafood Inspection
      • Related Topics
      • Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
      • Cooperative Research
      • Enforcement
      • Financial Services
      • International Affairs
      • Science & Data
      • Socioeconomics
  • Protecting Marine Life
      • Endangered Species Conservation
      • Listing Species Under ESA
      • Critical Habitat
      • Consultations
      • Species Recovery
      • Research Surveys
      • Species in the Spotlight
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Marine Mammal Protection
      • Health & Stranding Response
      • Marine Mammal Protection Act
      • Research Surveys
      • Population Assessments
      • Take Reduction Plans
      • Marine Life in Distress
      • Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
      • Bycatch
      • Ocean Acoustics/Noise
      • Unusual Mortality Events
      • Vessel Strikes
      • Related Topics
      • Marine Life Viewing Guidelines
      • Enforcement
      • Funding Opportunities
      • International Cooperation
      • Permits & Authorizations
      • Regulations & Actions
      • Science & Data
  • Environment
      • Ecosystems
      • U.S. Regional Ecosystems
      • Management
      • Ecosystem Science
      • Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative
      • Habitat Conservation
      • Priority Restoration Investments
      • Habitat Restoration
      • Habitat Protection
      • Types of Habitat
      • Habitat by Region
      • Science
      • Consultations
      • Climate Change
      • Understanding the Impacts
      • Climate Change Solutions
      • Regional Activities
  • Regions
      • Our Regions
      • Alaska
      • New England/ Mid-Atlantic
      • Pacific Islands
      • Southeast
      • West Coast
      • Contact Us
      • Regional Offices
      • Science Centers
  • Resources & Services
      • Rules & Regulations
      • Fisheries Rules & Regs
      • Fisheries Management Info
      • Protected Resources Regs & Actions
      • Permits
      • Fishing & Seafood
      • Protected Resources
      • International & Trade
      • Funding & Financial Services
      • Funding Opportunities
      • Financial Services
      • Prescott Grants
      • Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants
      • Habitat Restoration Grants
      • Consultations
      • Habitat
      • Endangered Species
      • Tribal
      • Science & Data
      • Research
      • Surveys
      • Data
      • Maps & GIS
      • Publications
      • Published Research
      • Key Reports
      • Documents
      • Publication Databases
      • Outreach Materials
      • Laws & Policies
      • Magnuson-Stevens Act
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Marine Mammal Protection Act
      • Policies
      • Outreach & Education
      • For Educators
      • For Students
      • Educational Materials
      • Outreach Materials
      • Teacher at Sea
      • Events
  • About Us
      • NOAA Fisheries
      • Our Mission
      • Who We Are
      • Where We Work
      • Our History
      • News & Media
      • News & Announcements
      • Bulletins
      • Multimedia
      • Science Blogs
      • Events
      • Video Gallery
      • Photo Gallery
      • Careers & More
      • Career Paths
      • Inflation Reduction Act Opportunities
      • Internships
      • Citizen Science and Volunteering
      • Contact Us
      • National Program Offices
      • Regional Offices
      • Science Centers
      • Our Partners
      • Regional Fishery Management Councils
      • American Fisheries Advisory Committee
      • Government Agencies
      • Non-Government Organizations
    • Find A Species
        Back
        Find A Species
          Find a Species
        • Dolphins & Porpoises
        • Fish & Sharks
        • Highly Migratory Species
        • Invertebrates
        • Sea Turtles
        • Seals & Sea Lions
        • Whales
          Protected Species
        • All Threatened & Endangered Species
        • Marine Mammals
          Species By Region
        • Alaska
        • New England/Mid-Atlantic
        • Pacific Islands
        • Southeast
        • West Coast
          Helpful Resources
        • Marine Life Viewing Guidelines
        • Marine Life in Distress
        • Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
        • Species in the Spotlight
    • Fishing & Seafood
        Back
        Fishing & Seafood
          Sustainable Fisheries
        • Bycatch
        • Catch Shares
        • Fishery Observers
        • Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported Fishing
        • Magnuson-Stevens Act
        • Research Surveys
        • Population Assessments
          Resources for Fishing
        • Commercial Fishing
        • Recreational Fishing
        • Subsistence Fishing
        • Fishery Management Info
        • Permits & Forms
        • Rules & Regulations by Region
          Sustainable Seafood
        • Seafood Profiles
        • Aquaculture
        • Commerce & Trade
        • Seafood Inspection
          Related Topics
        • Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
        • Cooperative Research
        • Enforcement
        • Financial Services
        • International Affairs
        • Science & Data
        • Socioeconomics
    • Protecting Marine Life
        Back
        Protecting Marine Life
          Endangered Species Conservation
        • Listing Species Under ESA
        • Critical Habitat
        • Consultations
        • Species Recovery
        • Research Surveys
        • Species in the Spotlight
        • Endangered Species Act
          Marine Mammal Protection
        • Health & Stranding Response
        • Marine Mammal Protection Act
        • Research Surveys
        • Population Assessments
        • Take Reduction Plans
          Marine Life in Distress
        • Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
        • Bycatch
        • Ocean Acoustics/Noise
        • Unusual Mortality Events
        • Vessel Strikes
          Related Topics
        • Marine Life Viewing Guidelines
        • Enforcement
        • Funding Opportunities
        • International Cooperation
        • Permits & Authorizations
        • Regulations & Actions
        • Science & Data
    • Environment
        Back
        Environment
          Ecosystems
        • U.S. Regional Ecosystems
        • Management
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative
          Habitat Conservation
        • Priority Restoration Investments
        • Habitat Restoration
        • Habitat Protection
        • Types of Habitat
        • Habitat by Region
        • Science
        • Consultations
          Climate Change
        • Understanding the Impacts
        • Climate Change Solutions
        • Regional Activities
    • Regions
        Back
        Regions
          Our Regions
        • Alaska
        • New England/ Mid-Atlantic
        • Pacific Islands
        • Southeast
        • West Coast
          Contact Us
        • Regional Offices
        • Science Centers
    • Resources & Services
        Back
        Resources & Services
          Rules & Regulations
        • Fisheries Rules & Regs
        • Fisheries Management Info
        • Protected Resources Regs & Actions
          Permits
        • Fishing & Seafood
        • Protected Resources
        • International & Trade
          Funding & Financial Services
        • Funding Opportunities
        • Financial Services
        • Prescott Grants
        • Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants
        • Habitat Restoration Grants
          Consultations
        • Habitat
        • Endangered Species
        • Tribal
          Science & Data
        • Research
        • Surveys
        • Data
        • Maps & GIS
          Publications
        • Published Research
        • Key Reports
        • Documents
        • Publication Databases
        • Outreach Materials
          Laws & Policies
        • Magnuson-Stevens Act
        • Endangered Species Act
        • Marine Mammal Protection Act
        • Policies
          Outreach & Education
        • For Educators
        • For Students
        • Educational Materials
        • Outreach Materials
        • Teacher at Sea
        • Events
    • About Us
        Back
        About Us
          NOAA Fisheries
        • Our Mission
        • Who We Are
        • Where We Work
        • Our History
          News & Media
        • News & Announcements
        • Bulletins
        • Multimedia
        • Science Blogs
        • Events
        • Video Gallery
        • Photo Gallery
          Careers & More
        • Career Paths
        • Inflation Reduction Act Opportunities
        • Internships
        • Citizen Science and Volunteering
          Contact Us
        • National Program Offices
        • Regional Offices
        • Science Centers
          Our Partners
        • Regional Fishery Management Councils
        • American Fisheries Advisory Committee
        • Government Agencies
        • Non-Government Organizations
Species Directory

Sugar Kelp

Overview Seafood Aquaculture Science Resources
Sugar kelp is a marine algae widely cultivated and eaten in Asia and growing in popularity in the United States as a nutritious food high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Learn more about sugar kelp.

Sugar Kelp

Saccharina latissima

Illustration of a single, long, yellowish brown sugar kelp. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jack Hornady
Also Known As
Sea belt, Devil's apron

Quick Facts

Length
Up to 16 feet
Lifespan
2 to 4 years
Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Fish Watch. U.S. Seafood Facts Logo
750x500-sugar-kelp-NEFSC.jpg Fisherman pulling up sugar kelp. Credit: GreenWave/Ron Gautreau

Fisherman pulling up sugar kelp. Credit: GreenWave/Ron Gautreau

About the Species

750x500-sugar-kelp-NEFSC.jpg Fisherman pulling up sugar kelp. Credit: GreenWave/Ron Gautreau

Fisherman pulling up sugar kelp. Credit: GreenWave/Ron Gautreau

Sugar kelp is a yellowish brown marine algae widely cultivated and eaten in Asia and growing in popularity in the United States as a nutritious food high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Sugar kelp has long been known as a sweetener and as having thickening and gelling qualities that can be added to food and cosmetics. Sugar kelp is being grown and harvested by more commercial farms for a variety of uses, from food to potential biofuels. 

Appearance

  • Sugar kelp are yellowish or dark-brown and green in color.
  • They resemble large lasagna noodles and have a long narrow, undivided blade with a short thin stem.
  • The central band of the blade is dimpled while the margins are smoother with a wavy edge. The crinkled blade gives the sugar kelp its other common names.

Biology

  • Sugar kelp reach maturity between 3 and 4 years of age. 
  • Their blade can grow up to 5 meters (16 feet) long and 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide.
  • Sugar kelp can live for 2 to 4 years and grow quickly in colder months.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Protista
Phylum Ochrophyta
Class Phaeophyceae
Order Laminariales
Family Laminariaceae
Genus Saccharina
Species latissima

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025


Featured News

Woman in orange waders pulls long kelp out of the water from a boat on a sunny day. Suzie Flores harvesting sugar kelp in Stonington, Connecticut (Credit: Elizabeth Ellenwood).
Feature Story

Meet Stonington Kelp Company: Seaweed Grower in Connecticut

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Two men spray baskets of oysters on a boat. Oyster growers harvest farmed shellfish from the Damariscotta River in Maine. NOAA has awarded several grants to small businesses working to develop new tools to advance sustainable U.S. aquaculture. (Image credit: C. Katalinas/ Maine Sea Grant)
Feature Story

White House National Science and Technology Council Finalizes New Aquaculture Plan, First in 40 Years

National
A vessel lifts a seaweed line in a fjord in the Faroe Islands.
Feature Story

United Nations Endorses New “Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture”

National
Oysters being farmed by Alaska Shellfish Farms in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Oysters being farmed by Alaska Shellfish Farms in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Feature Story

NOAA Fisheries Releases New State of Alaska Aquaculture Report

Alaska
View More News

Seafood Facts

Fishwatch Logo

Is Sugar Kelp Sustainable?

U.S. farmed sugar kelp is a smart seafood choice because it is grown and harvested under U.S. state and federal regulations.

Environmental Impact Icon

Availability

Fresh product when harvested is available February to May, while dried kelp is available year round.

Feeds Icon

Source

Commercially farmed in cold water regions along the East and West Coast of the United States and Alaska.

Farming Methods Icon

Taste

Sugar kelp has a savory and slightly sweet flavor. When dried, a white, sweet-tasting powder forms on the blade.

Human Health Icon

Texture

Crunchy texture

Human Health Icon

Health Benefits

High in fiber, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 43; Protein: 1.68 g; Total Fat: 0.56 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0 g; Carbohydrate: 9.57 g; Total Sugars: 0.60 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g; Cholesterol: 0 g; Sodium: 233 mg

More Information

  • Sustainable Seafood
  • (Podcast) Seaweed: The Miracle Macroalgae with Major Economic and Environmental…
  • Tide to Table Profiles: Atlantic Sea Farms
  • Tide to Table Profile: Monterey Bay Seaweeds
  • Tide to Table Profiles: Seagrove Kelp Co.
  • (Video) Alaska Kelp Farming: A New Sustainable Seafood Opportunity
  • Sign Up for "Taste of the Tides" Newsletter

Kelp Recipes

Looking for some ways to add kelp into your rotation? If you need some cooking inspiration, browse these recipes for sugar kelp miso soup, sugar kelp cookies, and more!

Read More
A white bowl of miso soup with green seaweeds, green onions, and tofu. In the foreground is a spoonfool of soup.

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025


Seafood News

A grid (three rows with four columns) of pictures of seafood dishes with each photo labeled with a month of the year. January is sablefish, February blue mussels gratin, March monkfish bisque, April opah chili, May steamed clams, June sheet pan shrimp and vegetable fajitas, July fried bluefish, August scup poke bowl, September grilled scallops, October grilled barbeque oysters, November Alaska pollock enchiladas, and December grilled spiced mahimahi filets Celebrate Culinary Arts Month with a sustainable seafood recipe for every month of the year.
Feature Story

What Your Birth Month Says About Your Next Seafood Recipe

Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Fish sitting on ice in a metal bowl. Fresh-caught taʻape on ice. Credit: Conservation International Hawaiʻi.
Podcast

Reducing Waste and Feeding Communities in Hawaiʻi with a Whole Fish Approach

Pacific Islands
Curried skate wings plated with rice and chutney Chef Tyler Hadfield’s Curried Skate Wings with Tomato-Masala Chutney
Feature Story

Ring In the New Year With These Crowd-Favorite Seafood Recipes

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Two Hawaiian monk seals swim near an aquaculture net pen full of fish. NOAA Fisheries, in collaboration with Blue Ocean Mariculture, is conducting a multi-year pilot study to evaluate observational methods and tools for studying Hawaiian monk seal behavior. Courtesy of Blue Ocean Mariculture
Feature Story

AI Meets Aquaculture to Study Hawaiian Monk Seal Interactions With Net Pens

Pacific Islands
View More News

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025

Aquaculture

U.S. farmed sugar kelp is a smart seafood choice because it is grown and harvested under U.S. state and federal regulations.

Environmental Impact Icon

Environmental Impact

Sugar kelp provides net environmental benefits by removing excess nutrients and carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen to mitigate against ocean acidification.

Feeds Icon

Feeds

Growing sugar kelp requires no feed—sugar kelp produce their own food through photosynthesis, using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

Farming Methods Icon

Farming Methods

Sugar kelp lines are seeded in a land-based nursery and then placed in tanks or marine waters for grow-out.

Human Health Icon

Human Health

Sugar kelp is high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, calcium, iodine, and magnesium.

Management

  • Permitting for sugar kelp aquaculture is governed by federal, state, and local governments.
  • The federal agencies involved are NOAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • All fisheries and aquaculture farms in federal waters must adhere to federal regulations including those in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Farming Methods

  • Seed production:
    • Wild sugar kelp is harvested to extract spores for culture.
    • Spores are settled onto nylon twine wrapped around a PVC pipe (or spools).
    • Once spores have settled after 24 to 36 hours, the spools are placed in indoor tanks under controlled conditions.
    • After 4 to 6 weeks, the juvenile kelp plants are transferred to the grow-out site.
  • Grow-out:
    • The seed string with juvenile plants attached is deployed in tanks or on long lines (a heavier culture rope suspended between buoys) in marine waters.
    • Sugar kelp is harvested when it reaches the appropriate size for its intended purpose.

Production

  • Seaweed farming is just now establishing in the U.S. and shows promise to become an important contributor to future U.S. marine aquaculture production

Environmental Considerations

  • Habitat:
    • Sugar kelp farming has a benign ecological footprint, with little disturbance of sediments or aquatic vegetation during grow-out. It may cause some shading of the seafloor environment depending on the depth in which it is grown. 
    • Seeding is a quick process accomplished from small skiffs and harvesting is also quick and efficient consisting of bringing a long line onto the boat and removing the kelp with a small knife; both of these operations are low impact on the environment.
  • Feeds:
    • Once transferred to the ocean site, sugar kelp does not need to be fed due to photosynthesis.

Ecosystem Services

  • Water quality improvements:
    • Sugar kelp consume excess nutrients and carbon dioxide from the water column and give off oxygen as they grow, improving water quality of the surrounding environment.
    • When sugar kelp is harvested, excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as carbon dioxide are removed from the ecosystem.
  • Providing habitat:
    • Sugar kelp provides structure and shade for many marine organisms and serves as habitat for juvenile fish and small invertebrates.
    • Sugar kelp beds also disperse wave energy to protect shorelines from erosion.

Human Health

  • Sugar kelp toxins:
    • Sugar kelp can assimilate toxins like heavy metals such as mercury present in the water where they are grown, but levels are extremely low making it safe at quantities typically consumed. 
    • Early warning systems exist to detect harmful algal blooms that produce toxins.
    • New technologies, such as the Environmental Sample Processor, provide near real-time detection of harmful algal species.
    • For more information on the prevention and monitoring of harmful algal blooms, read about NOAA's Harmful Algal Bloom forecasting program.
  • Pathogenic bacteria:
    • Bacteria like Vibrio and salmonella can be found in contaminated water where farmed sugar kelp may grow.
    • Ingestion of sugar kelp contaminated with salmonella or other bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal illness.
  • Sugar kelp is required to be tested for toxins and bacteria and public health officials monitor farmed sugar kelp to ensure it is safe to eat.

More Information

  • Understanding Marine Aquaculture
  • Aquaculture in New England and the Mid-Atlantic
  • Seaweed Aquaculture

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025

Science Overview

  • Ocean acidification:
    • Acidification causes a number of changes in water chemistry that may be stressful to estuarine organisms.
    • In 2015, the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, NOAA, and other partners received $1.5 million from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to tackle the impacts of ocean acidification using sugar kelp.
  • Growth and genetics:
    • The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Milford Lab is studying different aspects of sugar kelp to help commercial growers expand their operations.
    • In early 2017, researchers tested the lab’s sorting flow cytometer. The instrument will allow high-volume screening of individual kelp plants for desired traits such as high-temperature tolerance. This method may be used in the future for improving sugar kelp strains.
  • Human health:
    • Milford Lab scientists, through a grant from the NOAA Aquaculture Program, are also studying different kinds of organisms like bacteria, micro-and macro-algae that may be growing on the surface of sugar kelp at different stages of the kelp’s growth. They isolated Vibrio bacteria from the plant to see how abundance changes throughout the growing season. They have found that Vibrio is absent during most of the growing season since this bacteria prefers warmer waters. This information can help growers harvest in the best possible conditions.
  • Energy:
    • One of the Milford Lab’s sugar kelp collaborators also received $5.7 million in 2017 from the Department of Energy through the agency’s program focused on advancing seaweed energy production, Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER). The grant to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will fund a selective breeding program for sugar kelp and an autonomous underwater observation system to advance the mass production of seaweed for biofuels and bio-based chemicals.

More Information

  • Aquaculture: Science & Technology

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025

Documents

Document

NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fiscal Year 2022 Aquaculture Accomplishments

The Alaska Regional Office and Alaska Fisheries Science Center continue coordinated efforts to…

Alaska
More Documents

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/25/2025

Scroll to Top Icon
Sign Up Mail Button
Sign up for our newsletters
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
X (Twitter)
Linkedin
  • NOAA Fisheries
    • About Us
    • Laws & Policies
    • FishWatch
    • Site Index
  • For Fishermen
    • Rules & Regulations
    • Permits & Forms
    • Commercial Fishing
    • Recreational Fishing
    • Fishery Observers
  • For Researchers
    • Published Research
    • Science & Data
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Us
    • Media Inquiries
    • Report a Violation
    • Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
    • NOAA Staff Directory
Send Feedback
NOAA Logo
Science. Service. Stewardship.
Accessibility
|
EEO
|
FOIA
|
Information Quality
|
Policies & Disclaimer
|
Privacy Policy
|
USA.gov
Department of Commerce
|
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|
NOAA Fisheries