Re: “Rift over sustainability leads to cancellation of Maine Seaweed Festival” (June 27):

Bold Coast Seaweed sustainably harvests wild seaweed from the Bold Coast of Maine. Bold Coast Seaweed is living proof of sustainability. We’re certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association and have been since 2013.

We harvest up in the leafy part of the kelps, allowing them to grow back. We return the next month and harvest. Our methods allow seaweed to become more abundant and robust. We harvest alaria, kombu and dulse.

We harvest in the Bay of Fundy; fed by the Labrador Current flowing down from Nova Scotia, the water there is 10 to 12 degrees colder than in the Gulf of Maine. These waters are nutrient rich, and the seaweed robust.

Our seaweed comes from clean waters. Using National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration maps pinpointing pollutant effluents, we have setbacks. We log the dates and GPS coordinates. From Quoddy Head State Park to Cutler, there is only one effluent.

Working with university and college interns, our harvest season begins in May. Currently we have an intern from Maine Maritime Academy. Previously we’ve had interns from the University of Maine and the University of New England. We are studying the effects of harvesting.

Our product mission steers us to find the best wild seaweed beds in Maine and to harvest, dry and sell the finest-quality wild seaweed, with a continued commitment to utilizing certified organic processes, sustainable hand-harvesting techniques and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the environment.

Our social mission drives us to increase people’s awareness of the uses and benefits of seaweed by initiating innovative ways to educate and introduce people locally, nationally and internationally to seaweed.

Arthur Pivirotto

founder, owner and president, Bold Coast Seaweed LLC

Lubec

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