Sisters of the Sea

Shinnecock Kelp Farmers

Sisters of the Sea

Indigenous innovation restoring oceans, reviving ecosystems, and regenerating economies through sugar kelp

Southampton, NY, USA

USA

Nonprofit

SKF is addressing the urgent problem of coastal ecosystem degradation caused by nutrient pollution, ocean acidification, and climate change. In Shinnecock Bay, excess nitrogen from outdated septic systems, which affect over 75 percent of homes in Suffolk County, has caused harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and collapse of shellfish populations critical to both local economies and traditional practice. Globally, nitrogen runoff contributes to 400+ hypoxic dead zones and damages marine ecosystems that billions of people rely on for food and livelihoods. These ecological shifts harmed the Shinnecock community, where we’ve lived for thousands of years through subsistence harvesting and today most Tribal members live well below the AMI. Our solution cultivates sugar kelp, a native seaweed that removes nitrogen, sequesters carbon, and buffers acidity. Our projected 2025 harvest from ~1 acre of seedline should produce ~70,000 pounds of biomass with potential of removing 200 pounds of nitrogen and 10,000 pounds of carbon. This work restores habitat for species like scallops and supports long-term economic resilience through job creation and sustainable kelp-based products. We believe we’re the only Indigenous-women-led kelp farm and our unique approach combining science with ancestral knowledge provides innovative solutions beyond simple practice of kelp farming.

Our solution is Indigenous-led kelp farming, a regenerative practice that restores ocean health while supporting Shinnecock and broader Indigenous cultural and economic resilience. We grow sugar kelp, a native seaweed that absorbs nitrogen, sequesters carbon, and buffers ocean acidification. Grown on submerged lines in Shinnecock Bay, kelp improves water quality, creates habitat, and supports the return of shellfish like scallops and quahogs, which are central to Shinnecock foodways and culture. Our approach uniquely combines traditional Indigenous stewardship with marine science. We’ve developed a hatchery and gametophyte lab using groundbreaking research from Dr. Charlie Yarish, a leading seaweed biologist. His method allows us to propagate kelp from gametes in a controlled setting, eliminating the need to collect reproductive tissue from wild plants and enabling sustainable, scalable seed production. Once harvested, the kelp is processed into soil amendments that reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and support regenerative practices on land. By blending ancestral knowledge with advanced aquaculture, our solution restores ecosystems, strengthens food sovereignty, and offers a scalable and replicable model of Indigenous-led climate adaptation rooted in science, culture, and care for our waters.

Our solution currently primarily serves the Shinnecock community, an Indigenous coastal community facing the joint threats of rising seas, ecosystem collapse, and generational economic exclusion. The median household income on the Shinnecock Reservation is less than 20% of the Area Median Income (AMI) of surrounding Suffolk County, caused by centuries of land dispossession, exclusion from development, and systemic underinvestment. Shinnecock Bay, once a source of abundance, is now severely impacted by pollution, warming, and acidification. These changes threaten our food sovereignty, cultural practices, and the ability to remain on our ancestral lands. Through kelp farming, we’re restoring the health of our waters while creating well-paid jobs for Tribal members. This work blends Shinnecock knowledge with marine science to address both ecological degradation and economic injustice. With the scalability of our hatchery, research, and farming model, we aim to expand this technique across the Northeast coast—enabling other coastal and Tribal communities to mitigate climate change, restore ecosystems, and build regenerative local economies. Our solution creates a ripple effect: cleaner water, more marine life, good jobs, and stronger communities—rooted in Indigenous leadership and deep relationship with the ocean.