Seaweed farms would serve two main purposes: habitat and food for fish; and as "' nutrient sinks' that would take up inorganic nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate) from the water column."

The method, now known as Golgi staining or Golgi impregnation, involves hardening of tissue in potassium bichromate and ammonia, followed by immersion in a silver nitrate solution.

Aerobic bacteria chew up the ammonia and turn it first into nitride and then to nitrate.