A
three-Michelin-star chef in Spain has discovered that sea grass, a diminutive and little-loved marine plant, produces what is in effect, rice.
His adoption of this grain into cooking techniques is now simply one part of his mission to repair sea grass ecosystems around the world—which he says could serve to not only stop the warming of the planet, but feed it as well.
Ángel León is famous for his innovative seafood, and combining his love of the sea with his knowledge of its often unlooked-for bounty recently secured a third Michelin star for his restaurant Aponiente, and propelled him to gastronomic stardom in his country of Spain.
With his discovery, noted by the Guardian as only the second documented case of eating sea grass grains, León hopes it will lead to a complete revolution in how we look at our shorelines—that they might become “marine gardens.”
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There are efforts
underway in Wales to increase sea grass growth.
At a time when shallow seagrass meadows have disappeared from 92% of UK’s vast coastline, scientists have realized that this curious and gentle habitat is needed now, more than ever, to help reduce CO2-induced warming—and guard against potentially rising seas.
Coastal ecosystems are among the most biodiverse on the planet. When salt marshes, shallow water seagrass beds, river estuaries, and tidal zones are healthy, these delicate ecosystems work like the tiles of a mosaic to create the picture of resilient seas and shores.
But, the losses of the crucial seagrass piece is coming to a head in Wales, where Dr. Richard Unsworth of Swansea University, unnerved by the annual decline of 7% in seagrass beds around the UK and Ireland, has worked to organize a massive replanting effort along the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
“It’s incredibly productive and just sucks carbon into the sediments, traps particles that are locked there for millennia,” Dr. Unsworth told BBC. “That means that carbon dioxide is not in the atmosphere.”
Seagrass is also imperative as a haven for wildlife, providing shelter, food, and a place to raise young for all kinds of marine species—as a video from the BBC demonstrates. Seagrass also acts as a nursery for important fish stocks like cod and pollock, and prevents seafloor erosion from storm surges.