Seaweed
farming is they way to cultivate and harvest the
seaweed. It is a part of aquaculture and the farming has been regularly
developed in many countries including China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian
countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Seaweed has been treated as food
source for centuries and used in many forms. Seaweed also comes in wide variety
of types and grouped into three different colors which are brown seaweed, red
seaweed, and green seaweed. Seaweed treated as export import commodity as well
and most of them are exported to the both United States and Europe countries
while some also find their way to Japan.
Do your own
seaweed farming with these wonderful guides
But, the nicest thing is that you can even
start your own seaweed farm in your own ground. Since there are hundreds of
seaweed types, of course you should decide what kind of seaweed that you want
to cultivate and harvest. Both Eucheuma striatum and Eucheuma spinosum are best
suited for commercial farming, although the first one is more preferred because
of the high tolerance of ecological changes and this species is easier to be
farmed as well.
To be a productive seaweed farmer, you
should maintain the farm really well and this is mean that you need to
frequently visit then check the farms. Not to mention seaweed is need to be
cleaned regularly to ensure good and healthy growth. Here is what you need to
look for when you want to start seaweed farming.
1.
Choose the location. The most
difficult task when you want to start farming seaweed is to decide and select
the right location or site. But, you should pick a land with rapid water
turnover or good water movement, however not heavy enough to damage the seaweed
farm. Another important thing to look for is the water temperature, it should
between 25°C and 30°C and the area need to be sheltered from strong winds and
wave. Moreover, the ground should be stable so it is easy to install bamboos or
stakes.
2.
After that you can conduct a
test planting and there are two methods which can be used: Net method and Line
method. With net method, you will be use polyethelene or monofilament net,
while line method use polyethelene rope or knotted/ loop monofilament line.
3.
Do not forget to seek some permission
to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources office after you finally find
good seaweed farming location. Next, you
should clean the site thoroughly by cut all the grasses, remove stones, rocks,
and other obstacles. Do not forget to construct a farm house as well.
4.
Now you can start to make
seaweed eucheuma farm and after you are done, you need to manage the farm
regularly so you can harvest high quality seaweed products. Eucheuma seaweeds
are harvestable when they reach 750 to 850 grams in weight. Allowing them to
regenerate after you harvest the seaweed and this is also part of maintenance
procedure.
5.
Drying the seaweed once you are
done harvesting them. You need to prepare a platform to let the seaweed dry
naturally. Please take a note that, avoid drying the seaweed directly on the
soil so they are not contaminated.
Seaweed farming needs regular check up to keep the site in good condition. Some
ways to maintain seaweed farms are:
-
Loose and unhealthy plants need
to be removed.
-
Missing plants need to be
replaced.
-
Remove dead corals, starfishes,
sea urchins, and other obstacles which you found in the farm.
-
Any broken nets or lines should
be replaced as soon as possible.
-
A boat maybe required depending
on the distance of your seaweed farming site.
-
Never allow the sea vegetables
to grow more than 5 kilograms since it will be destroyed by water current.
-
Make a record of the plants,
for example daily harvest records, test plant records, expenses records, and
many more.
How much you will earn from seaweed farming
is not that bad and since seaweed farming considered being not so tough job, it
is worth it to try. Even nowadays, many large companies and manufacturers built
their own seaweed farms and distribute the products to various countries as
seaweed commodities. Hope with above information you can tell how to seaweed farming on your own.
