HANDBOOK ON EUCHEUMA SEAWEED CULTIVATION IN FIJI | |
by
ROBERTO FOSCARINI | and | JAYANT PRAKASH |
Associate Professional Officer, | Fisheries Officer, | |
Aquaculturist, FAO/South Pacific | Seaweed Specialist, | |
Aquaculture Development Project, | Fiji Fisheries Division, | |
Suva, Fiji | Suva, Fiji |
May 1990, Suva, Fiji
MINISTRY OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, FISHERIES DIVISION
and
SOUTH PACIFIC AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
GCP/RAS/116/JPN
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Tim Adams, Principal Fisheries Officer. Fiji Fisheries Division, for his critical review of the manuscript and his valuable suggestions.
We also would like to acknowledge Mr. Sashi Kumar, Graphic Artist, University of the South Pacific, Suva, for the illustrative drawings.
FOREWORDS
The production of this handbook on Seaweed Cultivation is timely when the aspiration of the Ministry of Primary Industries on behalf of the Government, is taken into account. Seaweed farming as a part of mariculture or aquaculture in its general sense is the emphasis for the current decade.
With its simplicity and clarity the handbook is an inspiration to eager farmers. As such, we as a Ministry wish to encourage all who are planning to take up seaweed farming to study this handbook and with the help of the Fisheries Division attempt to get going on what is indeed a potential income generating activity for the coastal populace.
The Ministry is grateful to the FAO/South Pacific Aquaculture Development Project for making available funds for the handbook's publication. We also congratulate the Fisheries Division and the officers involved for their valuable contribution to the preparation of the document.
As we reaffirm our commitment to encourage seaweed farming in Fiji may we wish all who are actively involved in all spheres of the Industry the very best that the future may bring for the good of all.
Tui Cavuilati
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Operations)
Ministry for Primary Industries & Cooperatives
Eucheuma seaweed culture is widely practiced in South-East Asia at present in
order to create cash income to the subsistence village fishermen. Eucheuma culture
also seems feasible to the Pacific Island countries due to the low technology
required for its culture and particularly the low shipping cost which is the most
important factor for sustainable development of export-oriented fisheries industry
in the Pacific.
Eucheuma culture has been already proved technically feasible in the Pacific, and
its quality has been well assessed by the industry. The South Pacific Aquaculture
Development Project (SPADP) has been so far very supportive in promoting
marketing development of cultured Eucheuma.
Fiji was the major producer of Eucheuma in the Pacific and about 200 mt of dried
Eucheuma was exported in 1986. It was unfortunate that Eucheuma culture in Fiji
deteriorated afterwards mainly due to marketing constraints with the withdrawal
of the sole buyer in 1988.
Since then, however, a new marketing channel of Eucheuma was developed in 1989.
The SPADP has organized a workshop on Eucheuma culture and marketing in
November 1989 in association with the Fiji Fisheries Division and the FMC Marine
Colloids Division. The workshop was aimed at promoting a restoration of
Eucheuma culture in Fiji and in the Pacific region by disseminating updated
information of world marketing situation and enhanced culture methods.
This time, the SPADP has supported the production of this manual aiming at some
contribution towards economic development of Fiji and other Pacific nations. It
would be quite an honor for me if this publication would be of use for this
purpose.
Hideyuki Tanaka
Project Manager, South Pacific Aquaculture Development Project,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.
This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.
How does Eucheuma seaweed look like ?
How does Eucheuma seaweed reproduce ?
What will be the benefit of farming seaweed for my village ?
Are there any laws I should know about seaweed farming ?
How seaweed is used by food and other industries ?
Where can I place my seaweed farm ?
What methods should I use to cultivate seaweed ?
What are the advantages and the disadvantages among these culture methods ?
How should I handle my seaweed ?
How much it will cost to start seaweed farming ?
Who can help me to start and finance my seaweed farm ?
How can I organize my work at the farm ?
What should I do to maintain my farm ?
How much could I earn from my seaweed farm ?
4. HARVESTING AND SELLING SEAWEED
What care is required after seaweed is harvested ?
How much seaweed can I harvest from my farm ?
Who is going to buy my seaweed ?