Safeguarding the Future of the Global Seaweed Aquaculture Industry Elizabeth J
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United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) & Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) POLICYBRIEF Safeguarding the future of the global seaweed aquaculture industry Elizabeth J. Cottier-Cook1, Nidhi Nagabhatla2, Yacine Badis1, Marnie L. Campbell3, Thierry Chopin4, Weiping Dai5, Jianguang Fang6, Peimin He7, Chad L. Hewitt3, Gwang Hoon Kim8, Yuanzi Huo7, Zengjie Jiang6, Gert Kema9, Xinshu Li10, Feng Liu11,12, Hongmei Liu13, Yuanyuan Liu7, Qinqin Lu14, Qijun Luo15, Yuze Mao6, Flower E. Msuya16, Céline Rebours17, Hui Shen14, Grant D. Stentiford18, Charles Yarish19, Hailong Wu7, Xinming Yang20, Jihong Zhang6, Yongdong Zhou21, Claire M. M. Gachon1 Corresponding author: [email protected] Highlights 1. Global aquaculture production continues to valuable lessons can be drawn from the increase, whilst capture fisheries stagnate. major seaweed-producing nations and other Many wild fisheries have been aqua- and agriculture sectors. overexploited. Cultivation, if managed sustainably, is a viable alternative. 4. Improving biosecurity, disease prevention and detection measures are critical, together 2. The seaweed industry is undergoing a rapid with establishing policies and institutions. global expansion and currently accounts for This will provide incentives and steer the ~49% of the total mariculture production. long-term economic and environmental Unabated exponential growth in the last development of a sustainable seaweed 50 years has meant that the value of the aquaculture industry. industry reached US$6.4 billion in 2014, providing jobs, predominantly in developing 5. This policy brief highlights key issues that and emerging economies. need to be addressed to create longterm sustainability of this emerging global 3. There is increasing need to address new industry, as it prepares itself for playing an challenges imposed by trade and market important role in the ‘blue’ ocean economy demand. Case studies clearly show that agenda. This policy brief was supported UNU or any other contributing pressing water challenges that are by the international collaborative institution. Mention of the names of of concern to the United Nations, project GlobalSeaweed and is firms or commercial products does its Member States, and their primarily based on the outcomes not imply endorsement by UNU or people, through knowledge-based of two workshops organised by the other contributing synthesis of existing bodies of programme in 2015 and 2016. institutions. scientific discovery; through cutting edge targeted research that www.sams.ac.uk/globalseaweed Copyright identifies emerging policy issues; United Nations University, 2016 through application of on-the- GlobalSeaweed is funded by the ground scalable solutions based International Opportunities Fund Edited and designed by Elizabeth on credible research; and, through of the UK Natural Environmental Cottier-Cook and Anuschka Miller relevant and targeted public Research Council (NE/L013223/1). (SAMS) outreach. It is hosted by the Government of Canada and Acknowledgements Published by UNU-INWEH and McMaster University. The authors would like to thank the SAMS UNU-INWEH is supported by the reviewers for providing invaluable Government of Canada through comments on this policy brief. Available from Global Affairs Canada. United Nations University Disclaimer Institute for Water, Environment About SAMS The designations employed and and Health (UNU-INWEH) The Scottish Association for Marine presentations of material through- 204-175 Longwood Road South Science is an associate institute out this publication do not imply Hamilton, ON L8P 0A1 CANADA of the United Nations University. the expression of any opinion E: [email protected] Founded in 1884 it is Scotland’s whatsoever on the part of the inweh.unu.edu premier independent marine United Nations University (UNU) science organisation working for concerning legal status of any About UNU-INWEH healthy and sustainably managed country, territory, city or area or UNU-INWEH is a member of the seas and oceans, and economic of its authorities, or concerning United Nations prosperity, through marine the delimitation of its frontiers or University family of organisations. research, education, enterprise boundaries. The views expressed It is the UN Think Tank on Water and public engagement. in this publication are those of created by the UNU Governing the respective authors and do not Council in 1996. The mission of the necessarily reflect the views of the institute is to help resolve Citation Cottier-Cook, E.J., Nagabhatla, N., Badis, Y., Campbell, M., Chopin, T, Dai, W, Fang, J., He, P, Hewitt, C, Kim, G. H., Huo, Y, Jiang, Z, Kema, G, Li, X, Liu, F, Liu, H, Liu, Y, Lu, Q, Luo, Q, Mao, Y, Msuya, F. E, Rebours, C, Shen, H., Stentiford, G. D., Yarish, C, Wu, H, Yang, X, Zhang, J, Zhou, Y, Gachon, C. M. M. (2016). Safeguarding the future of the global seaweed aquaculture industry. United Nations University (INWEH) and Scottish Association for Marine Science Policy Brief. ISBN 978-92-808-6080-1. 12pp. Contributing institutions 1Scottish Association for Marine Science, UNU Associated Institution, Scottish Marine Institute, Scotland, UK; 2United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 3Environmental Research Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand; 4Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (CIMTAN), University of New Brunswick, Saint John, Canada; 5Laver Association of Jiangsu Province, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China; 6Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; 7College of Life and Fisheries, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China; 8Department of Biology, Kongju National University, Shingwandong, Kongju, Republic of Korea; 9Wageningen University and Research, Laboratory for Phytopathology & Plant Research International, Wageningen, The Netherlands; 10Huaihai Institute of Technology, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China; 11Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China; 12Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China; 13Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, CAS, Yantai, China; 14Institute of Oceanology and Marine Fisheries, Jiangsu Province, China; 15College of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China; 16Institute of Marine Science, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 17The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Norway; 18Pathology and Microbial Systematatic Theme, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, 2 Weymouth Laboratory, Weymouth, Dorset, UK; 19Seaweed Marine Biotechnology Labs, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Stamford, CT, USA; 20Jiangsu Xianzhiyuan Aquatic Food Company, Rudong, Jiangsu Province, China; 21Yancheng Hairui Food Company, Dafeng, Jiangsu Province, China Challenges Seaweed production is undergoing global including: stocks that are highly susceptible expansion raising new challenges for producers to disease and epiphyte outbreaks caused by and the environment. Currently, the majority a reliance on a highly limited genetic stock, of the seaweed production is for human the displacement and reduction of wild native consumption, whilst the remainder is used for stocks through competition and inter-breeding animal feed additives and fertilisers. In the last with non-indigenous escapees, intentionally decade, a significant expansion of the global introduced for cultivation purposes and the seaweed cultivation industry has been driven unintentional introduction of non-indigenous by the growing demand for contaminant-free ‘hitch-hiker’ species, including pathogens. The seaweed and by the commercial sector requiring increased vulnerability of farm sites to natural seaweed-derived products for biotechnological, disasters, which have intensified due to climate and medical applications in countries with little change, and the resulting impact on coastal traditional interest in seaweed aquaculture environments by abandoned infrastructure, or consumption. Furthermore, seaweed potential conflicts with other users of the marine cultivation is increasingly being used to reduce environment and growing dissatisfaction of the the environmental impact of intensive finfish low-gate prices for the crops are also major aquaculture through integrated multi-trophic challenges. aquaculture (IMTA) techniques. The aim of this policy brief is to highlight The rapid expansion of any industry can the current challenges facing the global typically result in unforeseen ecological seaweed industry and to provide policy and socio-economic impacts, particularly in recommendations, which can incentivise this the early stages in new geographical areas, emerging ‘global’ industry to promote a more where policies to regulate and manage the sustainable balance between economic growth industry are in their infancy. These impacts and ocean health (i.e. blue ocean economy), can pose significant challenges for the industry, thus safeguarding its long-term future. The rise of the global seaweed industry and its environmental and socio-economic consequences Seaweed aquaculture contributed ~49% to the global mariculture production of 27.3 million tonnes in 2014 and is undergoing a rapid global expansion raising new challenges for producers and the environment.