The Farming of Seaweeds

Guidelines for the introduction of Seaweed Farming asan alternative livelihood opportunity in the coastal zone

The management of the coastal zones of the western Indian Ocean (WIO) is seriously compromised by the over-exploitation of coastal fisheries stocks. This overexploitation is largely due to the over-development of artisanalfisheries, which are particularly difficult to manage.

In fact, there are really only two ways to address this problem: 1) bysimply legislating to reduce the fishing effortsand then enforcing that legislation, which is politically very difficult, or 2) by linking the mutually agreed introduction of less punitivemanagement measures (for example, gear restrictions or closed areas or seasons) with the creation of alternative livelihood opportunities for fishers.

Marine aquaculture is a one such alternative that is increasingly popular following a number of successful introductions in the region. One example is the development of seaweed farming, which has been promoted over the last 20-years but other types of marine aquaculture also have potential as alternative livelihoods. These include the culture of prawns, fish, bivalves, crabs and sea cucumbers.