The global seaweed industry, which represents over 30 million metric tons (MT) of aquaculture production annually, needs to continue to push innovation, an expert with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said during the ongoing 2022 Seafood Expo Global conference program in Barcelona, Spain.
Globally, seaweed production has increased “massively” since the 1950s, FAO Aquaculture Specialist Christine Rolin said during a panel covering small-scale aquaculture. The majority of those increases have come from aquaculture operations located almost exclusively in Asia.
“Aquaculture production has increased … wild harvesting has remained fairly stable. Ninety-seven percent is produced in Asia,” Rolin said. “That really highlights the significance of this region for growing seaweed. But it also indicates a huge potential or other regions to grow their sectors.”
Seaweed farming in Asia, she said, is broken down into three main types: nori, kelp, and eucheuma. In Asia, eucheuma is the most-farmed species, and according to Rolin, it is a main source of livelihoods for coastal communities in Africa and Asia.
“So it’s one that FAO is working on a lot, and a lot of the time it’s women that lead the production of this seaweed, and it’s grown using low-tech methods, so it’s quite low cost,” Rolin said.
According to Rolin, the FAO is interested in boosting seaweed farming largely due to that low cost, and due to its low environmental impact. As a species on a low tropic level, it provides several benefits to its surrounding ecosystem.
“It doesn’t need many inputs to grow. It needs sunlight and nutrients from the seawater and a good environment to grow,” Rolin said.
Seaweed absorbs nitrogen from coastal waters, provides habitat, and has potential as a carbon sequestration species in addition to being a nutritious source of food. Plus, it is a low-cost option for developing coastal communities.
“Looking at the production over the last 50 years of Eucheuma, not much has changed from the 70s to today, and it’s still using very low cost technology that coastal communities can use,” Rolin said.
That lack of innovation, however, can put the industry at risk. The species is facing increased genetic bottlenecks due to a lack of seed production, with most small-scale farmers using clones of existing crops rather than new growth.
“That means in the last 10 years, a lot of countries have seen quite big losses because of the lack of the genetic diversity,” Rolin said.
Increasing water temperatures due to climate change are also impacting the production of the seaweed, and newer farming methods using deeper water may be needed.
The production side, as well, needs innovation so that farmers can extract more value from the crops they raise, Rolin said.
“We need innovation and technology all the way from production through to harvesting as well as processing. There’s lots of efficiencies to be made,” Rolin said. “We need to add value to the products. That can be done at the farmer level to increase the value and the cost, or the price, they can get for their seaweed.”
Rolin said the FAO is working to build capacity, develop partnerships, and improve governance and policy to help increase seaweed production. In May, the organization is hosting a policy dialogue with 20 countries across Africa and Asia to focus on developing policy within seaweed aquaculture.
Growing the sector through innovation could be a way to alleviate poverty in many poor coastal communities, Rolin said.
Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
