Lazy Point Farms has purchased spools for most of our growing partners who don’t have their own hatcheries from Hart, including the Newtown Creek Alliance and AWAW EAG grant winner Shanjana Mahmud.

The kelp growing cycle for many of the growers Lazy Point Farms has worked with starts here: in a shellfish hatchery. Hart Hatchery, a family-owned shellfish company on Long Island, has worked alongside us since the early days of the project. Locally collected kelp spores are introduced to a nutrient rich growth medium along PVC spools which can be used in kelp aquaculture after a period of growth.

Like many of our growing partners, Sixto Portilla is a local shellfish farmer excited to diversify his aquaculture business. One of the interesting results of partnering with oyster growers, is that we’ve been able to collect evidence of the benefits that growing kelp in tandem with oysters can have on both crops!

Many local shellfish growers like Wicks grow kelp alongside their shellfish, diversifying their crops. Lazy Point Farms has been working with Sue for several years now and was excited when she received the first commercial permit to grow kelp in local waters!