Brendan Smith is on what you might call a seaweed crusade. The owner/operator of Branford, Connecticut’s Thimble Island Oyster Company has been farming his own shellfish for nearly a decade in what he calls a “diverse, 3-D system” in the Long Island Sound. Edible kelp has been part of Smith’s vertical, multi-trophic system for a while now. The sea vegetable grows with mussels and scallops along a series of long trellis-like lines just beneath the surface, while clams and oysters grow in cages below. Recently, however, he’s come to view what he calls “sea greens” as more and more crucial—not only for his business, but for oceans and their ecosystems. Read more on TakePart.