Seaweeds have been used as human food in the Indo-Pacific region for centuries. Recent development shows that certain species have considerable value for industrial purposes such as Gracilaria spp. as source of agar, and Eucheuma spp. as source of carrageenan. These species are widely distributed particularly in the South China Sea and its adjacent seas. Surveys conducted in this region indicate the availability of these large potential seaweed resources.
Present seaweed production comes from natural grounds but there is an indication that the supply is fast decreasing while the demand tends to be increasing. Although production could still be increased by the expanded exploitation of new natural beds, the removal of too much seaweeds in one season without leaving some stocks for regeneration will lead to quick over-harvesting. In practice, it is difficult to enforce regulatory measures for the collection of seaweeds to prevent over-harvesting.
The main sources of Gracilaria and other species of seaweeds are the developing countries in Southeast Asia, where the production is exported as raw materials mainly in Japan, United States, Europe and China. The processing is still done in the importing countries. In order tommaintain and stabilize the supply of this commodity, farming or culture of these species is required. Culture will open the possibility of significantly increasing the productivity of these seaweeds. Gaining knowledge on handling and processing techniques will eventually remove the burden of unnecessaryccost for this work from the countries in the region.
The development of labour-intensive industries such as seaweed fanning will help increase employment opportunities, thereby enhancing the economy of the coastal communities. The farming may even be done as a family venture.
For this reason, in order to develop the seaweed potentials of the majority of the countries in Asia and the Pacific region, training courses in this field will be very useful. The courses will train workers in the practical methods of Gracilaria farming (and other species), which will include training on how to conduct surveys of the resources from natural areas, demonstration on culture techniques, and preliminary processing of the algae. Participants from countries with existing programmes and with interest in these kind of activities will be invited.
The objectives of the course are to promote local qualified expertise in the field of seaweed farming in order to help food production, provide cash crops, enhance the welfare of the coastal communities, and open employment opportunities in rural areas as well as to offer practical training on seaweed farming especially Gracilaria in an existing institution in the region.
The training course was organized and sponsored by the South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme (SCSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization.(FAO) of the United Nations with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Project RAS/79/041.
The Marine Sciences Center of the University of the Philippines at Quezon pity, Metro Manila, hosted the training course, providing the staff and facilities.
The training was conducted at the Marine Sciences Center (MSC) and the Natural Science Research Center (NSRC) at the Diliman Campus of the University of the Philippines and at the marine station of the Marine Sciences Center in Calatagan, Batangas province, Luzon. Additional field activities were conducted at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Experimental Gracilaria Farm in Bacoor, Cavite.province, Luzon,
The duration of the training was four weeks, 1–30 April 1981.
A total of 15 participants from. 10 countries attended the training course. Twelve out of the 15 participants were sponsored by the SCSP/FAO while two Indonesians were supported by a national FAO/UNDP Project, and one of the Philippine participants was sponsored by SEAFDEC Aquaculture
The names, designations and addresses of the participants are listed in Annex A.
The training programme consisted of lectures, demonstrations, laboratory and field work including a visit to the BFAR Gracilaria Experimental Farm.
All lectures were conducted at the NSRC Conference Room while the laboratory activities were conducted at the NSRC Laboratory and the MSC Seaweed Chemistry Laboratory. All field work work were conducted at the MSC Marine Field Station at Calatagan, Batangas which is approximately 120 kilometers from Quezon City, Metro Manila.
The detailed schedule of the training course is found in Annexes C and D while the list of lectures, demonstrations and practical works is in Annex E. The details of the field trip programme are included in the report as Annex D.
The training course was planned and implemented by an ad hoc committee consisting of the Technical Director, SCSP/FAO Training Officer and SCSP/FAO Aquaculture Consultant. The Technical Director was assisted by a number of technical staff and assistants. A complete list of the Training Staff is found in Annex B.
The opening ceremony was held in the NSRC Conference Room in the University of the Philippines at Quezon City on 1 April 1981, It was attended by Mr. A. G. Woodland, Programme Leader, SCSP/FAO/UNDP, Dr. H.R. Rabanal, SCSP/FAO/UNDP Aquaculture Consultant, Mr. V. Soesanto, SCSP/FAO/UNDP Training Officer, Dr. E. D. Gomez, Director, U.P. Marine Sciences Center, Dr. G. Abito, Director, U.P. Natural Sciences Research Center, Mr. F.R. Gonzales, Director, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and a number of guests and technical staff.
The opening ceremony-was brief. The Technical Director officially opened the training course. Dr. Gomez delivered the Welcome Address (Annex G) followed by Mr. Woodland who gave the Opening Remarks (Annex H). Finally, Director Gonzales delivered his remarks on behalf of the Philippine Government (Annex H).
The present status of production and culture of Gracilaria and other species of seaweeds in Asian countries was briefly reviewed (Lecture 1) in order to impress upon the participants the potentials and the future research and development needs of the seaweed resources as well as the possible role of the seaweed culture industry in the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the coastal inhabitants.
Due to their varied background as well as the lack of exposure to seaweed research and development of some of the participants, a series of lectures on the basic principles involving the marine ecosystem, the ecological factors which influence the local distribution of seaweed communities, and the basic activities necessary in the development of the seaweed resources (taxonomic) were given to the participants (Lectures 2, 3 4). In addition, they were introduced to the scientific sampling design and analysis necessary to pursue systematic research and development programmes (Lectures 5, 6).The participants were also introduced to the basic equipment used for monitoring ecological parameters in the field (Demonstrations 1 and 2).
The main coverage of the course included lectures on the production and processing of seaweeds. Lectures on production deal with those species in which production depends mainly on their natural stocks, the methods/approaches to protect and manage their natural stocks in order to maintain their productivity (Lecture 7) as well as the production of species through mariculture (Lectures 8, 9, 10). The latter subject included pond and field cultures of commercially important algal species such as Gracilaria, Caulerpa and Eucheuma. The main topics discussed included site selection, culture methods, farm management and harvesting.
In order to emphasize the need for good quality produce, a lecture on post-harvest handling of harvested crops was also given (Lecture 11).
With few exceptions, most Asian countries which produce seaweeds sell their produce to other countries for processing. This is one of the reasons why the seaweed industry has not really developed to its full potential. Thus, lectures on seaweed processing were included to emphasize this need (Lectures 13 and 14).
Additional lectures on diseases of seaweeds and potential of culturing seaweeds with shrimps and fish were also included in the course (Lectures 12 and 15).
All topics discussed during the lecture sessions were translated into practical work in the laboratory or in the field where the participants actively participated (Practica 1–17). The participants were required to perform the laboratory and field exercises to gain experience in seaweed research methodology and development.
In order that a participant can share the experience of the other participants, each of them was required to prepare brief but concise country/institution experience reports. These reports were delivered by the participants during the two lecture sessions. The reports were then discussed and the participants were requested to incorporate the answers to questions asked during the discussion in the final draft of their report. The reports are included here as Part IV.
A total of three field trips were conducted in which all the participants were required to attend. These trips were either field work designed to train the participants in the actual field or pond culture of seaweeds, field exercises to train them in field surveys or natural management work, or visits and observations on existing demonstration farms.
The first field trip was in Calatagan, Batangas where field activities on pond culture of Gracilaria and Caulerpa, field culture of Eucheuma and field exercises on monitoring of growth rates and ecological parameters, and management of natural stocks were conducted. This trip lasted for six days (Annex D).
The second trip was also conducted at Calatagan as a follow-up activity of the first trip. These consisted mainly of gathering of data on the results of the various field exercises. This trip lasted for two days (Annex D).
The third field trip was an observation trip to Bacoor, Cavite to observe the BFAR Gracilaria Experimental Farm. A visit to ponds where G. salicornia was observed to be growing in abundance was also made during this trip. This trip was a one-day activity.
After each lecture, the participants were encouraged to participate in the discussion of the subject either by asking questions on points of interest or clarification as well as additional comments and/or information as these relate to their own experience or potential involvement in the future programmes in their country. The same pattern of discussion generally applied to country/institution experience sessions.
Discussions and/or clarifications of the methodologies and the significance of the practical works were also made prior to or after the actual work in the field in order to make the participants aware of the relevance of these to seaweed production, resource management and conservation.
The following are brief notes on some salient points discussed after each lecture or field exercise:
Lecture 6 (Status of seaweed production and utilization)
The participants agreed that the potentials of the seaweed resources in many Asian countries are great. Indonesia was specifically mentioned as the country with the greatest potential due to its big size and its archipelagic nature. The problem of developing these potentials was raised where two main constraints to such development were mentioned, namely, the lack of knowledge on the seaweed resources and the lack of technical expertise in this specific field.
Lecture 2 (Influence 6f environmental factors on seaweed communities)
The discussion centred mainly on how one with limited background in ecology can visually assess the environmental conditions in a certain area during survey work. Lecturer explained that this is quite hard at the beginning due to the lack of experience because the observer does not have the basis for a value judgement. However, one can start by looking at the status of the seaweed communities using species diversity as a relative measure. Well-developed seaweed communities are signs that the environ-mental factors in the area are favourable, i.e. these communities are characterized by many species.
During Practicum 1 (identification of seaweed species), a number of questions were raised regarding the different taxonomic characteristics which distinguish one algal species from another, i.e. the differences between Gracilaria and Eucheuma, E. striatum and E. cottonii, C. lentillifera and C. racemosa and many more.
Lectures 4 and 5 (Inventory and assessment of seaweed stocks)
The importance of scientific, as contrasted to “guesswork” methodologies in gathering data, was emphasized as an indispensible tool in almost all aspects of eco-biological research. Interestingly, the participants, even those directly involved in sampling and survey work as an integral part of their activities in their home institutions, presented varied reactions towards the lectures.
A general acceptance of the methodologies discussed in the lectures and demonstrated in the laboratory as well as in the field was expressed by the participants. This was due mainly to the efficiency and simplicity of the techniques and the use of not-so-sophisticated instruments and materials which their institutions may find relatively easy to requisition and/or improvise.
Lecture 7 (Natural production of commercial species)
The problem of over-harvesting of natural stocks was raised during the discussion. Monetary gain was mentioned as the primary reason. This opportunistic attitude, however, was ascribed to the lack of understanding of the biological nature of the resource and the lack or non-enforcement of fishery laws. The lack of management guidelines in regulating fishery resources was attributed to the absence of information on biological aspects of the resources.
Lecture 8 (Pond culture of seaweeds)
Much of the questions raised were centred on site selection, water management, problems on weeds, and economic feasibility of pond culture. The Taiwan China and the Vietnamese cases were cited as examples for Gracilaria. In the case of Caulerpa where there was lack of data on its economic feasibility, its success as a venture is mainly based on qualities/parameters such as the increase in the number of fishpond owners, area presently developed and the high price of this seaweed in local markets.
Lectures 9 and 10 (Field culture of Gracilaria)
Questions on the economic feasibility of the method used in India for the mariculture of Gracilaria was raised. The participant from India stated that the long line and the net methods both require high inputs in labour and material costs. The long line methods, however, was found to be more feasible than the net method, because the cost (labour and materials) is much lower. The problems associated with field culture of Gracilaria, such as weeds and grazers, were also discussed.
The present status of Gracilaria harvesting in Manila Bay was also discussed. The loss of the Gracilaria harvesting area due to reclamation was cited as one of the reasons responsible for the decline of natural stocks in the area.
Discussion on Eucheuma farming centred most on the criteria used in site selection. The importance of water movement (current) as a factor was stressed during the discussion. The economic feasibility of its culture was also discussed. The tremendous production and the hundreds of fishermen now engaged in Eucheuma farming were cited as evidence for its success as a business venture.
Lecture 11 (Post-harvest handling)
The problem on the poor quality of the dried produce was raised. Poor quality of the dried weeds-was attributed mainly to the poor post-harvest method used in rural areas.
An evaluation of the training course was conducted on the second to the last day of the course. The participants were requested to record their opinions on both the technical and non-technical aspects of the course by answering the questionnaire provided for this purpose. Some questions were not answered by the participants. The answers were pooled and the results are presented as Annex I of this report.
The overall results of the evaluation showed that the training course has achieved its objectives.. The pooled answers to the questionnaire reflected the favourable responses of the participants to the technical aspects of the course. Some participants, however, felt that the time alloted was a bit short. This point may have to be considered when similar training courses will be held in the future.
In addition, the participants were requested to evaluate their co-participants using a questionnaire designed by the technical staff. The technical staff also evaluated the participants using the same questionnaire. The results of this evaluation were made as basis in the selection of the three top graduates of the training course. The top graduates were presented with Special Citation Awards.
The need for a follow-up evaluation on the impact of the training course on the participant's future activities and needs in their country's research and development programmes was recognized as one of the activities which FAO/UNDP should pursue in the near future. This concensus was arrived at by the Technical Director, FAO/UNDP Training Officer and the SCSP/FAO/UNDP Programme Leader as a result of their discussions with the participants. It is, therefore, recommended that a follow-up action should be conducted where the participants can discuss their activities during the past year and the problems they have encountered in the implementation of their seaweed research and development programmes. FAO/UNDP should provide technical assistance to deserving national programmes and that these activities should be integrated with relevant mariculture programmes in the region.
