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The objective of this study was to determine the optimal blade size and timing to transplant seed-stock of Ecklonia cava Kjellman onto the reef structure. We used the modified artificial stepped reef structure. A total of 14 units (3.0 m length × 3.5 m width × 1.1 m height) were deployed 7-8 m deep under the water to examine the optimal blade size and timing to transplant seed-stock of E. cava onto the structures. Sporophytes of E. cava <1 cm in length were all died within 1 month of transplantation. The blades of 5-10 cm in length which were transplanted in March 2007 survived and grew well on the artificial reefs. Growth rates of 5-10 cm size class were higher than those of longer blade sporophytes (20-30 cm size class, transplanted in April) while the survival rates showed no difference between the classes of blade size. Both classes of 5-10 and 20-30 cm in length grew until July, and a reduction in size had occurred in September. These results indicate the importance of the blade size of E. cava and timing for successful transplantation of the seaweed on artificial reef structures.

Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) hatchery production is currently being done at various scales across several continents including Australia, Maldives, Vietnam, Pacific island countries, Madagascar and the Philippines. Work in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, through the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin), commenced in 2006. UPMin set up experimental hatcheries, ponds and other facilities by establishing partnerships with two local corporations: Alsons Corporation and JV Ayala Group of Companies. The former facility also has a seawater channel feeding fish ponds, which, through time, has harboured resident populations of sandfish. This channel became a source of broodstock, as well as a ‘conditioning area’ for sandfish collected from the wild. It also served as the first-stage nursery for juveniles. This paper describes low-cost technology for all stages of culturing H. scabra up to production of juveniles ≥10 g for release, and compares the cost-cutting innovations with those of published protocols. Three local modifications made by the UPMin project team are described here: the use of a seawater channel for broodstock and hapa; mono-algal feeding using Chaetoceros calcitrans; and the use of recycled or locally made materials. Broodstock can be kept for weeks in the channel with zero mortality, even without maintenance. In the hapas, juveniles can grow to 5–10 g in 1–2 months at an average survival of 84%. Chaetoceros calcitrans was bought from Alsons and scaled up using recycled 250-L PVC barrels. It was used as a feed until the early juvenile stage. These innovations yielded a best performance average of 2.2% survival to 3–5-mm juveniles. This paper attests to the progress and innovations made in sea cucumber research in the Philippines since H. scabra production was pilot-tested in the country in 2002.

The Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu was identified as the target location for studying the structure, conduct and performance of seaweed farming in India in view of its historical background, locational advantages, industry interactions, socio-economic institutional framework and opportunities for expansion and growth. For these reasons, the Ramanathapuram district has long been recognized as the center of the seaweed farming in India. Although 434 species of red seaweeds, 194 species of brown seaweeds and 216 species of green seaweeds naturally occur in India, it was only until the beginning of the twenty-first century that the country made any concrete progress towards organized seaweed farming. The tardy progress was caused by a number of factors including locational disadvantages, inconsistent performance of species for commercial exploitation, absence of a complete package of farming practices, and industry and policy support. Although the commercial potential of Kappaphycus alvarezii had been previously recognized and its culture technology had been perfected by the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), culture at a commercial scale only began when PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd (PepsiCo) made its entry into the venture with a pilot-scale investment in the early 2000s. The entry of PepsiCo turned out to be decisive, acting as a catalyst to rejevunate the industry-institutional linkages.

The concept of Self Help Groups (SHG) spearheaded by the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) also led to rapid development in the Mandapam area of Ramanathapuram, which soon became the hub of seaweed farming in the country. Self Help Groups in the fishing villages of Vedalai, Thonithurai, Ariyankkundu and R. Vadakadu currently operate more than 1,000 rafts. Many of the SHGs have been able to obtain a yield of more than 50 kg per raft per day (dry weight). Based on findings from this study, seaweed farming offered 161 and 144 days of employment per annum in the Rameshwaram and Mandapam areas, respectively. With current development projections targeting 5,000 families in the near future, the seaweed sector could generate around 765 thousand man-days of employment in the Ramanathapuram district. It has been estimated that India can produce one million tonnes of x dried seaweed and provide employment to 200 thousand families with annual earnings of around ` 0.1 million per family. The annual turnover of Kappaphycus seaweed farming alone can be safely estimated to be ` 2.0 billion.

Spearheaded by private investments, the clear institutional and financial support of the Government of India through development agencies and research establishments has been fundamental for the development of the sector. The distinct possibility of expansion of operations based on successful commercial trials in sites in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat will give a significant boost to the sector. Seaweed farming has all the potential to rise from a low-income livelihood activity into a reasonably profitable commercial enterprise in coastal India.

Hardly a day goes by without there being a news item warning us of the impending shortage of oil and what it is going to cost us — assuming we can get it! The belated realization that non-renewable liquid fuels are going to increase in price, and possibly even be rationed, is one of the main reasons why biomass is being looked into so seriously by so many of the developed countries. For the developing countries, the energy problem is as acute — if not more so. The ‘woodfuel crisis’ is revealing the long-term detrimental agricultural, social and economic consequences of deforestation.