PRODUCTION, TRADE AND UTILIZATION OF SEAWEEDS AND SEAWEED PRODUCTS

FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 159

FIPP/T159(En)

J. Naylor
Fishery Planning Officer
Policy and Planning Service
Department of Fisheries

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 status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-47
ISBN 92-5-100091-3

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PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This paper is one of a series of studies of major fisheries commodities being undertaken by the Department of Fisheries, FAO. The present paper examines the world's major resources of marine algae, their utilization, trade and potential for further development. Other studies in this series are FAO Fish.Tech.Pap., (126), Production, Trade and Consumption of Small Shoaling Pelagic Species (Naylor, J., 1973); FAO Fish.Circ., (340), Production, Trade and Consumption of Cephalopods and Cephalopod Products (Hotta, M., 1976); and (in preparation) papers dealing with other molluscs, canned products, cured fish, and Japanese market prospects for selected imported fishery commodities.

There is a considerable wealth of literature on the biology, ecology and chemistry of seaweeds but the economic and commercial aspects of the seaweed industry have been comparatively neglected. The published data on the production and use of seaweeds and their products are, in many cases, very limited and, whilst in the preparation of this paper every attempt has been made to obtain and analyse all the official and other data available, the picture remains incomplete. Readers are, therefore, kindly invited to send any comments or proposals for addition, correction or amendment to the author.

“Current bibliography” entry:

Naylor, J. (1976) FAO Fish. Tech. Pap., (159):73 p. Production, trade and utilization of seaweeds and seaweed products
Seaweeds. Harvesting. Drying. Seaweed processing. Food technology. Seaweed products. Agar agar. Alginates. Carrageenan. Feeds. Fertilizers. Food. Trade. Resource management. Potential Resources. Seaweed culture.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, August © FAO 1976

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List of Tables

Table I	Principal Seaweeds in Present Commercial Use and their Geographical Distribution
Table II	World Production of Seaweeds (1960 and 1973) and Estimated Value (1973)
Table III	Japan - Production Value of Seaweeds 1970–1973
Table IV	Estimated Production of Agar Agar, 1958, 1968 and 1973
Table V	Agar - Average Unit Values in International Trade 1970–1974
Table VI	Estimated Production of Carrageenan-Bearing Seaweeds
Table VII	Approximate Annual Production of Alginates - Early 1970s
Table VIII	Japan - Consumption of Main Edible Seaweeds 1963–1973
Table IX	Japan - Production of Main Edible Seaweeds 1963–1974
Table X	Indicative Matrix of Trade Flows: Dried Seaweeds
Table XI	Indicative Matrix of Trade Flows: Alginates
Table XII	Indicative Matrix of Trade Flows: Phycocolloids Derived from Red Algae
Table XIII	Main Importers and Exporters of Seaweeds and Seaweed Products 1974
Table XIV	Seaweed Resources of the World - Recent Harvests and Potential Output
Table A, Appendix I	Production of Seaweeds and Aquatic Plants 1960–1974