The Caribbean’s small countries and island nations are experiencing a loss of resources due to climate change, nutrient pollution, ocean acidification, seagrass bed habitat loss, fishing pressure, and lost tourism revenues due to COVID-19. We believe that well-managed development and growth of tropical seaweed aquaculture in the region may help to assuage these issues while also providing a new source of seaweed biomass for the existing carrageenan, new food and textile and possibly future biofuel markets. We are exploring the opportunities for expanded seaweed aquaculture in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in collaboration with partners across 15 institutions and research sites in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Belize.
In this presentation, we will explain how insight from our field research is being combined with consultation from local stakeholders to guide the development of Ecological Best Management Practices (BMP) for seaweed aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea . Our intention is that these ecological BMPs will support prospective seaweed farmers, resource managers, and buyers through ecologically and socially responsible decision-making around seaweed aquaculture. Fostering sustainable expansion of Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico macroalgal cultivation will encourage production in these regions to expand beyond the existing small-scale farms producing seaweed for artisanal beverage and cosmeceutical markets. Establishing larger-scale farms in a responsible manner will enable production of algal biomass for additional local and global markets and allow resource managers to consider seaweed farming as an extractive component of an integrated water quality management strategy.