GlobalSeaweedSTAR

The seaweed industry is the fastest-growing of all aquaculture sectors, transforming the lives of millions of people, but the increasing threat from disease and pests has prompted a global research group into action to protect this multi-billion dollar commodity.

The industry worldwide is worth more than $5billion annually, growing by around 10 per cent each year, and supports millions of families in coastal communities, especially in developing nations, where 95 per cent of the world’s seaweed supply is cultivated.  Seaweed is grown to be eaten and to produce substances such as agar, which has many applications, from cooking to microbiology.

But outbreaks of seaweed disease and pest infestations are having catastrophic socio-economic impacts on the communities reliant on seaweed production.  In the Philippines alone, losses over $100million per year were attributed to disease, representing 15 per cent of their farmed seaweed production, and similar reductions have been seen in Tanzania and Indonesia.

The RCUK Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) GlobalSeaweedSTAR initiative aims to improve the research capabilities and knowledge for the industry in developing nations.  Scientists from seven international research institutes will drive the £5million project with the aim of providing solutions and training in disease prevention and identification to aid the sustainable growth of this vital industry in seaweed-producing developing countries.

Dr Elizabeth Cottier-Cook of SAMS leads the project, which is part of the £225m Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Research Councils UK Collective Fund. She said: “Worldwide, seaweed farming provides income to millions of families in rural coastal communities and provides a source of food. The industry has also enabled women to become economically active in areas where few opportunities exist.

“But, many seaweeds grown in developing countries are intentionally introduced from other parts of the world and they can bring with them a whole host of pests and disease, which go on to have wider environmental consequences.

“We want to train people from seaweed-producing developing nations in how to identify disease, support their efforts in breeding better crops and help shape national and international legislations to improve biosecurity. In turn, we hope that the exchange of information and sharing of best practices on breeding and cultivation techniques will benefit a truly global industry.”

The key ecological and socio-economic challenges hindering the sustainable economic growth of the seaweed industry were recently identified in a SAMS / United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU INWEH) Policy Brief led by Dr Cottier-Cook.  Two main challenges highlighted were the high vulnerability of some crops to disease outbreaks and pest infestation and the paucity of biosecurity measures and legislation governing the movement of seaweeds between regions and continents.

Internationally, the project will deliver a digital Atlas of Seaweed Diseases and Pests, and a rapid response network to deal with seaweed crises as soon as they emerge. It will also establish the GCRF GlobalSeaweedSTAR Fund, which will financially support seaweed-related projects in developing nations and in the UK.