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TRENDS IN THE CHILEAN SEAWEED CULTURETRENDS IN THE CHILEAN SEAWEED CULTURE

Hector RomoHector Romo

Department of OceanographyDepartment of Oceanography

University ofUniversity of ConcepcionConcepcion

ChileChile

FONDEF D00 / I 1109FONDEF D00 / I 1109

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Variety and quantity of

Chilean commercial seaweed

are explained by its location

in the southeastern Pacific

shores. The area isinfluenced by an active up-

welling system which fertilize

the upper inshore coastal

water and as a result, highprimary production and

subsequent high secondary

production occurs. Large

fisheries, (e.g. mollusks,

fishes, sea urchins and

seaweed) are the final result

of the interaction between

both oceanographic and

atmospheric conditions.

Humboldt

Current

N

E

S

W

20

40

Pacific Ocean

West Wind

Drift

Cape Horn

Current

Upwelling

Some Suitable

Conditions

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Unlike Korea, the culinary use of algae

in Chile is very restricted. The itemseaten, mostly by people of coastal

localities, are only the laver Porphyra

columbina and the bull kelp Durvillaea

antarctica

The use of luche (Porphyra) and

cochayuyo (Durvillaea) as food began

in the prehistory by the ancient Indian

people in pre Hispanic times. But ingeneral, firstly the Spanish and after

Chilean people did not incorporate this

kind of foods in their current meals.

Other restricted use is found In Chiloe

District, where land farmers use several

species of drifted Ulva and Enteromorpha

as fertilizers for potatoes and garlic

culture.

USE OF SEAWEED IN CHILE

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CHILEAN SEAWEED LANDINGS

Sarcothalia+Gigartina Other

Lessonia Gracilaria

Tons(

x

1000)

0

50

100

150

80 85 90 95 00

The Evolution of the Chilean

Seaweed Production

The harvest of industrial seaweed

began only in the fifties (XX

century) with the initial harvest of

Gracilaria to be exported to Japan.

Now there are 21 wild species whichhave been currently or sporadically

collected and exported. In 1996 the

total harvest was over a 400,000

metric tons, being the maximallanding from the last twenty years.

The more important harvested species in Chile are:

Gracilaria chilensis (pelillo). Rhodophyta, Gracilariales

Lessonia nigrescens & L. trabeculata (chasca), Phaeophyta,

Laminariales

Sarcothalia crispata (luga negra)Gigartina skottsbergii(luga roja), Rhodophyta, Gigartinales

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Gracilaria chilensis

Gelidium

G. lingulatum

G. rex

G. chilense

Agar-agar

Food grade

Bactoagar

Local factories and raw

material for export

Raw material for export

AGAROPHYTE RED ALGAE

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CARRAGEENOPHYTE RED ALGAE

Gigartina skottsbergii K &

Carrageenan

Local factories and rawmaterial for export

Sarcothalia crispata

K &

Carrageenan

Mazzaella laminarioidesK &

Carrageenan

Chondracanthus chamissoii K &

Carrageenan Raw material for export

Other commercial species are: Ahnfeltiopsis furcellata & A. disciplinalis (I-Carrageenan), Mastocarpus papillatus (K-Carrageenan) and Chondrus

canaliculatus (K & -Carrageenan).

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ALGINOPHYTE BROWN ALGAE

Lessonia nigrescens& L. trabeculata

Macrocystis pyrifera

& M. integrifolia

Durvillaea antarctica

Alginate

Alginate

Alginate

Local factories and as

raw material for export

Raw material for export

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EDIBLE RED AND BROWN ALGAE

Chondracanthus chamissoi

Callophyllis spp.

Durvillaea antarctica

chicorea (red)

carola (red)

cochayuyo(brown)

Porphyra columbina luche (red)

Food for export

Food for local

consumption

Food for export and

local consumption

Since about 1990 Chondracanthus and Callophyllis have been actively exported to Japan under

several processed dried forms. The product must be entirely devoid of reproductive structures as an

essential requisite to be accepted by Asian markets. On the other hand, due to these species are

harvested from natural populations, a lot of labor must be spent to clean it and to select non

cystocarpic fronds.

Durvillaea has been sold since about 1985 to Taiwan being actually a consolidated market. It is

processed as dried products under the form of pieces, noodles and meal.

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CHILEAN HYDROCOLLOID PRODUCCION

agar-agar carrageenan alginate

Tons

(x

1000)

0,0

0,4

0,8

1,2

1,6

2,0

2,4

2,8

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00

The Chilean hydrocolloid

production began in the sixties byone factory which manufactured

agar agar from Gracilaria

chilensis. In the eighties other

three agar factories began tooperate enhanced by the huge

production from both wild and

cultured grounds.

From 1990 both alginate and carrageenan were added to the Chileanhydrocolloid industry. Actually Chile produce about 20% world consumption of

carrageenan and about 25 % of agar agar demand.

Raw materials for the production of carrageenan are Sarcothalia, Gigartina andlesser quantities of Eucheuma which is imported from Indonesia or Philippines

and raw materials for alginates are mainly two species of the brown algae

Lessonia.

On the other hand all Chilean factories operate in joint ventures withenterprises of Spain, Denmark, Japan and France.

Hydrocolloid Production

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The culture of Chilean

seaweed began in 1981 whenthe Gracilaria chilensiscrops suffered an abrupt

falling off caused by heavy

overexploitation of wildgrounds along the country.

The culture experimented a

successful increasing until

1997 when it reached themaximal production of

110,000 metric tons.

Now, in the official records , cultured Gracilaria appear abruptly decreasingduring the last three years, but what happen in reality is that Fisheries Office,

the governmental entity in charge to check the landings and cultured

production has omitted this action. It is known that actually only less than 10 %

of the yearly production is contributed by wild grounds.

HARVEST OF GRACILARIAFROM CULTUREDGROUNDS AND WILD BEDS

Culture Wild beds Total

Tons

(x

1000

)

0

50

100

150

80 85 90 95 00

Gracilaria Culture

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Gracilaria Culture by Thalli Fragmentation

(began in 1981)

Initial stock

Thalli fragmentation

Bottom anchorage

(500 g- 1000 g / m2)

Growth( 6 8 months)

Harvest

Drying

Sale

Re-seeding

Intertidal

Subtidal

Polyethylene tubes

filled with sand

Stone attachment

Thalli directly buried

into soft bottom

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Gracilaria Culture by Spores

(began in 1995)

Initial stock: mature tetrasporic or

cistocarpic thalli

Spore settlement on polypropylene ropes

Microthalli growth in greenhouse (until 1-2mm length). 1 to 2 months, nutrients,

filtered seawater, 10-15 C

st nd

Out planting to the estuary (ropes arefixed between poles 70 cm above bottom

Growth 6 to 8 months

(until 40-60cm length)

th th

Pre-harvest

Harvested thalli are entwined inropes or buried into the bottom

Residual thalli

remains on

ropes

Final growth 10 -12

months

(until over 5 Kg / m )

th th

2

Harvest

Drying

(sun or industrial dryer)

Sale

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Mature algae Spore attachment on

polypropylene ropes Attached spores

Microthalli on ropes in

greenhouseHarvest

Estuary

outplanting

Growth

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Like happened with Gracilaria in the eighties, the

interest for culturing Gigartina skottsbergii (Red Luga)

was triggered by a continue shortage of wild crops in thenorthern areas of its distribution. Precisely near of Puerto

Montt City and Chiloe Archipelagoes whose wild bed

supplied seaweed to important carrageenan factories

settled there.

Consequently with this, the harvest done by artisan

fishermen, rapidly was extended to more southern

localities, reaching to southern Magellan Strait, about

1200 km from the initial harvested places. The demand bylocal factories and by raw material to be exported

continues increasing.

So a Pilot Program to cultivate Gigartina is being

conducted by Instituto de Fomento Pesquero and

University of Concepcin. On the other hand a study on

the commercial culture of Sarcothalia crispata (Black

Luga) as been also developed by both institutions but it

has not been yet applied to industrial scale. However,the know how exists.

CULTIVATING TECHNOLOGY

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Selection of mature frondsDesiccation of fronds

for 15 at 12-17C Re- Immersionin filtered

seawater ( 500 g

seaweed / 20 l

FSW )

Filtered spore solution

with plankton net

Seed substrate with

spore solution in

fiberglass tanks

Development of

young thalli onshells (10-15C

add nutrients)

After 4 weeks

transplant to the

sea

Harvest

Vertical hanging

type double line

CULTIVATING TECHNOLOGY

IN THE SEAHATCHERY

Shells with young thalli

Ropeattachment

at 5 cm

diameter

Growth

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Gigartina skottsbergii

Local and foreign carrageenan supply

Sarcothalia crispata

FUTURE CULTURES

Macrocystis pyrifera

Local abalone fodder

Macrocystis sp.Callophyllis spp.

Food for export

Durvillaea antarctica.

Chondracanthus

chamissoii

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THE FUTURE:

Next steps in the culture of Chilean seaweed necessarily must to consider:

Although initial pilot studies on culture exist, a major understanding on the basic biology of

edible species such as Chondracanthus, Callophyllis, and Durvillaea are required. These

species have a definitive acceptance in Asian markets. On the other hand, more research on

Porphyra spp. culture, similar to edible Oriental species must be done.

Quality of cultured Gracilaria such as: genetic selection and genetic handling in order to

select more productive and more resistant strains to epiphyte attack should be emphasized .

Biothechnological approaches on all cultured species should be developed in order to

enhance the production of useful secondary metabolites.

Understanding of biological mechanisms on commercial species that exhibit low growth

rates such as Gelidium, Ahnfeltiopsis and Chondracanthus as hydrocolloid and food

sources must be improved.

Companies involved in seaweed business, as well as artisan fishermen should to negotiate

with State institutions the feasibility to authorize and regulate the introduction of economicalforeign species for culture purposes.

To explore and to culture other sources of edible suitable species to Asian markets. Such

is the case of an edible Macrocystis species, which has been recently assayed for culturing.

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Seoul

Condorito from Chile Busan Victory from Korea

Thanks,

we ll hope to see you again!

Chile