food processing industry, is dominated by
six major manufacturers in the USA,
Denmark and France, together with some
smaller ones in Japan, Portugal, Spain
and the Republic of Korea. The Philippines
also commenced producing semi-refined
carrageenan (Santos et al. 1988).
Production potentials ofEucheuma species
are immense in the tropical areas of Asia-
Pac~fic region. Moreover, culturing this
seaweed has proven socially and culturally
acceptable to both the Southeast Asian
fishingcommunities and to the inhabitants
of the Pacific island countries. This was
reflected in the rapid establishment of
Eucheuma culture in the Philippines,
Indonesia, Fiji and Kiribati.
Unfortunately, the market demand for
carrageenan has a moderate growth rate
(not more than about 5% per year), and
this has resulted in an oversupplied,
buyers' market for the raw material.
Spectacular increases in the culture of
Eucheuma species are therefore unlikely.
Furthest from saturation is the global
market for agar-agar, although this gel
has been used in Japan since the 17th
century (McHugh 1987). Originally agar
wasmanufacturedfrom Gelidium species,
but after the depletion of natural stocks in
Japan, Korea and China, the attention
turned towards Gracilaria species found
also in tropical seas of southern China, the
Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Vietnam. While significant
amounts of cultured Gelidium have yet to
be produced, a successful pond culture
method of Gracilaria was developed in
Taiwan (Trono 1987). Vietnam and
Thailand have launched promising
pTograms in order to develop Graci2aria
culture, together with the establishment
of domestic agar extraction industries. As
processing technology of agar-bearing
seaweeds is not yet monopolized by a few
companies, joint development ofGracilaria
culture and processing seems to be a
seaweed-related development with
potentially wide social benefits for
producers.
Seaweeds, being autotrophic, are able
to synthetize high-energy organic
compounds from low-energy inorganic
ones. This makes them less problematical
from an ecologicallenvironmental point of
view. Seaweeds are capable of removing
significant amounts of nutrients from
overloaded waterbodies and may be used
very efficiently in complex integrated
systems. Gracilaria is cultured in
southwestern Taiwan in semi-intensive
ponds stocked with shrimp and/or
mangrove crabs (Trono1987). Experiments
in shrimp ponds are underway in Thailand.
Also in Thailand, agar-bearing seaweeds
areharvestedfrom marine fish cages where
they grow exceptionally well because of
the nutrient-rich environment
(Chandrkrachang and Chinadit 1988). In
Korea, a multilevel polyculture is being
developed to produce kelp, abalone and
flounders (B.H. Park, pers. cornm.).Future Perspectives
Giving serious consideration to
environmental issues related to
aquaculture is a rather new phenomenon
in the general development process in the
Asia-Pacific region. The current awareness
of aquaculturists in this respect, however,
exceeds that of their counterparts working
in terrestrial food production sectors, due
to the strong dependence of the cultured
aquatic species on a healthy aquatic
environment. Re-reading the report of the
1976 FA0 Technical Conference on
Aquaculture held in Kyoto, Japan (FA0
1976a) is an instructive exercise, because
participants of this historic meeting had
already raised all the major environmental
concerns ~aised by aquaculture
development.
An aquaculture planning workshop
organized by the Aquaculture