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)

A seaweed bioreactor circulates kelp gametophytes, little seaweed cells, under controlled light and temperature conditions Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass. (Ana Georgescu/MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing via AP)

Hadley Kerr, left, and Morgan Anthony hold pieces 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)