THE EVOLUTION OF SEAWEED FARMING DEVELOPMENT AND ITS
RELEVANCE TO RURAL AGRO-INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES1
by
Medina N. Delmendo,2 Vicente B. Alvarez3
and Herminio R. Rabanal4
Until 1960, the Philippines was exporting only dried Gracilaria species and Gelidiella acerosa collected from the wild. These seaweeds are sources of agar.
Eucheuma, like the Gracilaria, used to be harvested from the wild also but used locally for consumption as fresh vegetable in the Visayas and Mindanao. In 1953, Dr. Maxwell Doty, Professor of Botany in the University of Hawaii found the seaweed in Cebu market during his initial visit in the area. At that time Eucheuma was imported by the US Marine Colloids from Indonesia. This source became unstable due to political unrest in that country. Consequently, the Philippines became an alternative source of Eucheuma by this company. It started buying from the Philippines in the early 1960's. The first shipment for export was 150 tons; by 1968, 450 tons were exported.
In 1966, the Marine Colloids, Philippines was established. Dr. Doty's studies on the survey of Eucheuma in the Philippines was supported by the company by matching the funds provided by the Sea Grant Fund to Dr. Doty. He was assisted by Mr. Vicente Alvarez in the conduct of seaweed grounds and ecological surveys nationwide. Their studies stimulated the development of Eucheuma seaweed farming in the Philippines. Experimental work in collaboration with the Bureau of Fisheries in Zamboanga was carried out. Growth rate measurements of algae under different techniques of farming were carried out here. The results obtained were the basis for the commercial farming trials in different parts of the country which saw the development of farming the Eucheuma seaweeds.
1 Paper presented in the 2nd RP-US Phycological Symposium, 6–11 January 1992, Cebu, Philippines.
3 Technical Staff, Marine Colloids, Cebu, Philippines.
