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Washed up on the beach, the green algae are toxic, but raised in ponds, these sea lettuces can be used to feed animals and even humans. The plant has a protein content equivalent to soy.
Green algae are a scourge in Brittany. On a fine day, these sea lettuces run aground and as they decompose emit a toxic gas. However, Sylvain Huchette made the bet to cultivate them in ponds, his farm in Finistère produces more than 30 tons per year. This biologist is one of the first in France to bet on this edible algae with enormous potential. “It is an algae that is often dirty when it is collected in the natural environment and in the strandings of green tides, it is even unusable. But these sea lettuces can be grown in ponds and have excellent nutritional qualities”he explains.
A chef grows them for humans
He could see the nutritious qualities offshore, on his abalone farm. Every fortnight he collects their cages and deposits them for what food green algae. This lettuce is rich in protein, according to Sylvain, its rate can reach up to 30%, “the equivalent of soybeans for us.” A former chef, Hugo Morel, even made it his specialty for humans. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you too will eat it.
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