Aquaculture of giant kelp
Aquaculture of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is the cultivation of kelp for uses such as food, dietary supplements or potash. Giant kelp contains iodine, potassium, other minerals vitamins and carbohydrates. History At the beginning of the 20th century California kelp beds were harvested for their potash. Commercial interest increased during the 1970s and the 1980s due to the production of alginates, and also for biomass production for animal feed due to the energy crisis. However commercial production for M. pyrifera never developed. With the end of the energy crisis and the decline in alginate prices, research into farming Macrocystis declined. The supply of M. pyrifera for alginate production relied heavily on restoration and management of natural beds during the early 1990s. Other functions such as substrate stabilization were explored in California, where the “Kelp bed project” transplanted 3-6m adult specimens to increase the stability of the harbor and promote diversity. Twenty-first century Research is investigating its use as feed for other aquaculture species such as fish. China and Chile are the largest producers of aquatic plants, each producing over 300,000 tonnes in 2007. How much of this total can be attributed to M. pyrifera is unclear. Both countries culture a