To address challenges and pursue realistic opportunities within the emerging domestic seaweed aquaculture industry, Virtual stakeholder-driven Work Groups were formed to consider barriers that are preventing the seaweed industry from progressing, discuss potential solutions, and develop plans to address them.

Four topical Virtual Work Groups were formed from common needs identified through the nationwide seaweed industry needs assessment conducted in January 2020: Production Systems, Post-harvest and Processing Infrastructure, Marketing Opportunities, and Regulations. Work Groups are comprised of diverse stakeholders from across the country representing various sectors related to the seaweed industry including current and prospective farmers, regulators, researchers end,-users of seaweeds (processors and culinary professionals), and many others.

Facilitated by Sea Grant staff, Virtual Work Groups met over a two-and-half year period to refine challenges and prioritize them into achievable time-frames (i.e. short, medium and long-term), with the goal of developing a strategy or work plan to address their topical category. Work Group participants also conducted small-scale projects to tackle specific needs they identified as a priority.