FAO Backs Regulatory Overhaul for Global Seaweed Growers

The call was made after a presentation from Scottish Association for Marine Science(SAMS)\r\nscientist Professor Elizabeth Cottier-Cook and five other international experts\r\nat the event.
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\r\nThe seaweed industry was valued at around US$12 billion in 2017, and supports\r\nmillions of families worldwide. Seaweed production grew globally from 13.5\r\nmillion tonnes in 1995 to 30 million tonnes in 2016; as a food, seaweed is a\r\nsource of nutrients, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, but it is also used\r\nglobally in the food processing industry, as a thickening agent.

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Prof Cottier-Cook, who leads the Global Challenges Research\r\nFund (GCRF) GlobalSeaweedSTAR research\r\nproject, told delegates at the meeting how this rapidly expanding industry\r\nfaces a number of key challenges including disease and pest outbreaks, which\r\ncan lead to whole farms being shut down.
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\r\nShe said governments from around the world had to consider how best to\r\nsafeguard the industry.
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\r\nFollowing the presentation, key messages from the expert panel included; a call\r\nfor the seaweed industry to be scaled up, both at the country and local farm\r\nlevel, alongside initiatives to address the lack of specific policies and\r\nguidelines for seaweed biosecurity.
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\r\nProf Cottier-Cook said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to appear in\r\nfront of the UN FAO sub-committee on aquaculture and to highlight the\r\nimportance of the seaweed industry globally.
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\r\n“It was also extremely pleasing to have had such an enthusiastic response from\r\nthe member state representatives and an acknowledgement from the sub-committee\r\nthat they were interested in receiving more information on seaweed aquaculture\r\nin future sessions."
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\r\nWork already undertaken by the GlobalSeaweedSTAR project, a four-year UK\r\nResearch and Innovation (UKRI) funded programme to improve the sustainability\r\nof the global seaweed industry was presented at the side event and the team\r\nhopes to work with the FAO to develop a biosecurity action plan for this\r\nindustry.
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\r\nProf Cottier-Cook, who has previously authored an international policy brief in\r\nassociation with the United\r\nNations University on safeguarding the sustainable development\r\nof the seaweed industry, said: “Although, seaweeds have been grown for many\r\nyears in Asia, production of seaweed has grown exponentially over the past 30\r\nyears and is now increasingly being grown in countries with no tradition of\r\nconsuming seaweed for food.
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\r\n“The recommendation by member states at the Trondheim meeting that ‘aquatic\r\nplants’, which include seaweed, should be included in the development of their\r\nProgressive Management Plan for Aquaculture Biosecurity is a huge step forward\r\nfor the industry, which currently suffers from pest and disease outbreaks and\r\nthe risks associated with introducing non-native species."

Source : The Fish Site