Where does kelp come from? A guide to its main producing regions

Kelp is naturally distributed along the northern coast of Korea, northern Honshu in Japan, Hokkaido, and the southern coast of the former Soviet Union, but it is most abundant in Aomori Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture in Hokkaido, Japan. It is also found along the coast of Wonsan, Korea. China originally did not produce kelp; since its introduction, it has also grown naturally in the fertile sea areas of the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas in China. At present, artificial cultivation has been extended to the coastal areas of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places, but it is a cold-temperate species.

Where is the best kelp produced?

Depending on factors such as the sea area, the temperature difference from south to north, sunlight and seawater quality, the quality of kelp and its growth and maturity period also differ.

In China, kelp has three main producing regions:

1. The Xiapu area of Fujian Province, where the seawater is very clean, so the kelp grown here is also of the best quality and the most expensive.

2. The Dalian area of Liaoning Province, where the kelp harvest period is from mid-May to mid-July each year, and the kelp is of good quality and very tender, so demand exceeds supply.

3. The Rongcheng area of Shandong, where the harvest period is also from mid-May to mid-July each year, and the output here is the largest. However, there is more industry in the north and seawater pollution is relatively serious, so the kelp produced here has very wide, short and thick leaves, its eating texture is not very good, and therefore its price is also relatively cheap.

The above is a relevant introduction to where kelp comes from, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.