Resources and Possibilities for Seaweed Exploitation in Madagascar

Abstract

Gelidium madagascariense has been exploited for over 10 years in the Fort Dauphin area, SE Madagascar. The quality and quantity of the stocks were recently evaluated. Since 1992Eucheuma denticulatum and E. striatum cultivation is under experimentation in the Tuleararea, SW Madagascar. The results obtained show that this exploitation is economically viable.Large scale cultivation has not yet begun, as harvesting the wild stocks has become more and more popular among till' local population. To make Cultivation more attractive than wild stockharvesting, experimental strain selection of E. striatum' was initiated in 1992. After one year of selection on a small scale basis, two E striatum strains with an improved average daily growth rate (3.09 and 2.72%) could be isolated from 2.2% day I growth rate population.