A Road to the Sustainable Seaweed Aquaculture

Abstract

Cultivated seaweeds do not compete with food crops for arable land or freshwater, so this marine-based crop could provide an alternative source for the sustainable production of food, fuel, and natural compounds, without the usage of fertilizers or pesticides. However, increasing the global production of seaweeds requires an understanding of the critical points that currently limit their production. Seaweed aquaculture is, above all, a production method which can be scaled to real high proportions, maintaining several advantages as for example the heavy metals absence or a high and stable nutritional and biochemical profile in the cultivated seaweeds. In this chapter, we focus on the road to the sustainable seaweed aquaculture, the issues of concern and potential solutions to a sustainable aquaculture that contributes to a healthy ecosystem and quality production.