Happy belated Samhain, moon jellies!
We started writing this in the final few days of Warltati (Kaurna summer), back when the sea surface temperature was still a tepid 20 degrees! Then life got in the way, and we're now very much in Parnati – the windy season. Big winds = lots of seaweed washing in, so this is the perfect time of year for a little beach combing. Here's a little video of Brad scooping some Sargasso out of the swash zone here on the Fleurieu, & here are some very seasonal photos of our beautiful friends modelling some Moonrise Seaweed Co. shirts (both wearing size L):
Our intention with this newsletter edition was to include a write up of our time at the International Seaweed Symposium in lutruwita/Tasmania – but we ended up with so much to say, we thought we'd spare you a 5000 word newsletter and instead put our summaries up on our blog. We both attended many sessions at the conference, and in the spirit of open-source knowledge sharing, have attempted to share these as thoroughly as we can. Want to nerd out about the intricacies of seaweed restoration and farming? We've got you covered! Keen to explore seaweed and science from a First Nations perspective? We're all over it! Here's an additional write up from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation on the inaugural First Nations seaweed workshop Brad participated in. We hope these can be a valuable resource for anyone interested in the seaweed industry.
As for our plans in 2023 – we're still pushing forward, hoping the stars align for a truly regenerative, First Nations led seaweed farm in South Australia. We made a lot of excellent contacts at the ISS, and along with our existing advocates and supporters, we're exploring various opportunities for Moonrise Seaweed Co., planning how to proceed without deviating from our core values: Country, culture and community! Watch this space.
As always, keep frothing!
& if you have the means to, shop seaweed – every sale keeps the dream alive.
Chloe & Brad