Kelp cultures grow in small containers Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Ocean industry policy expert Hauke Kite-Powell poses for a portrait in Kendall Square, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Harvested kelp sits in Point Judith, R.I., Friday, March 20, 2026. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Oliver Dixon harvests kelp lines in Point Judith, R.I., Friday, March 20, 2026. (Zoe Beketova/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

A man pumps gas Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (Zoe Beketova/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Hadley Kerr, left, and Morgan Anthony examine pieces of kelp Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

A researcher holds a piece of tank-grown kelp Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Kelp strands dry on a line in Scott Lindell's lab Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)