Young SeaSavers Lobby To Ban Kelp Dredging in Scotland

On the west coast of Scotland, a group of middle school kids played a role in a successful campaign to stop mechanical dredging of kelp, a seaweed that grows in underwater forests and is used in commercial products like soap, some foods and medications. Kelp absorbs carbon dioxide, a bit like forest trees do, and the kelp forests are home to many marine species.

But companies are finding an increasing number of commercial uses for kelp, and a Scottish company, Marine Biopolymers, wants to apply a new dredging technique that conservationists say could destroy the marine ecosystem. The Ullapool Sea Savers, a group of environmentally-minded middle school students, lobbied to prevent the wholesale dredging operation, and the Scottish Parliament voted in November to ban the removal of entire kelp plants for commercial use.

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