Advances in seaweed aquaculture among Pacific Island countries

Recent developments in the seaweed aquaculture industries of Pacific islands are reviewed from the perspective of technical, production, geographic, marketing, species-diversification, socio-economic and institutional-support advances. Successful commercial aquaculture of seaweeds in the Pacific island region is presently based on two species, Kappaphycus alvarezii in Kiribati, Fiji and Solomon Islands, and Cladosiphon sp. in Tonga. It is possible that other candidate species could be considered for aquaculture for food (e.g. Caulerpa racemosa or Meristotheca procumbens) or extraction of agar (Gracilaria), although further research on the technical feasibility of aquaculture methods to produce sufficient tonnage, and particularly on their marketing, is needed. While the Pacific island region may be environmentally ideal for seaweed aquaculture, the limitations of distance from main centres and distance from markets, vulnerability to world price fluctuations, and socio-economic issues, make it unlikely that the Pacific Island region will ever rival the scale of Asian seaweed production. Regional seaweed farming can nevertheless make a useful contribution to supplement other sources of income, and can be an important economic boost for isolated outer islands where few alternative income-generating opportunities exist.