Informant38

INTRODUCTION TO COMMERCIAL SEAWEEDS

In the 1950s, China developed a way of cultivating Laminaria on long ropes suspended in the ocean, and this became a widespread source of income for large numbers of coastal families. By 1981, they were producing 1 200 000 wet tonnes annually of seaweed. In the late 1980s, production fell as some farmers switched to the more lucrative but risky farming of shrimp. By the mid-1990s, production had started to rise and the reported harvest in 1999 was 4 500 000 wet tonnes. China is now self-sufficient in Laminaria and has a good export market.

Dennis J. McHugh, UNSW/ FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER 441 2003