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Report 6 (of 6): Green Gold
- St. Lucia
Introduction
The Caribbean islands have been successfully
promoted as an attractive holiday destination, yet
for many people in the Caribbean, unable to take advantage
of the tourism industry, a crisis looms. Coastal communities
who are dependent on the sea's natural resources are
finding their livelihoods and food supply threatened
by resource over-exploitation, declining environmental
health, habitat degradation, and increased conflict
among users. Sustainable coastal and marine management
that involves local communities directly is proving
to be the only answer to this problem. On the island
of Saint Lucia, many villages benefit little from
tourism for their livelihood. Instead, they rely on
the natural resources that surround them in the sea,
such as seamoss, an edible species of seaweed.
Seamoss is the name given in most
parts of the Caribbean to edible seaweeds, renowned
for their nutritious and energy-giving properties.
Seamoss is widely used in the Caribbean in the preparation
of drinks and puddings, with new products appearing
in recent years. Unfortunately, its popularity in
the region and the development of small-scale bottling
industries on many islands have led to the over-harvesting
of wild stocks in many areas.
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The Island of Saint Lucia |
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Recognising the economic potential of
small-scale cultivation of seamoss, a regional non-governmental
organisation or NGO, the Caribbean Natural Resources
Institute (CANARI), has been working with farmers in
Saint Lucia to cultivate seamoss as part of a wider
natural resources management programme.
Seamoss
The Caribbean Sea contains hundreds
of species of red, green and brown seaweeds, about
ten of which are edible ones known as seamoss. Like
all seaweeds, seamoss has no real roots, leaves or
flowers. Instead, the plants consist of branched fronds
attached to a stable surface by an 'anchor' through
which the entire plant absorbs precious nutrients
from the surrounding seawater. The two most popular
species in St Lucia are Gracilaria and Eucheuma. Gracilaria
is a local species while Eucheuma is traditionally
harvested in nearby Antigua, Barbados and Belize.
Gracilaria and Eucheuma are both red seaweeds, though
in fact the colour can vary from one site to another
as well as during the life of the plant, from yellow
to light brown to purple.
Seamoss is traditionally regarded
as a nutritious ingredient for food and drink. It
contains complex carbohydrates, as well as amino acids
and minerals that are lost if the plants are washed
in fresh water after drying. Perhaps because of its
energy-giving properties, it also enjoys an age-old
reputation as a potent aphrodisiac!
Much of the harvested seamoss is blanched,
sun-dried, packaged and sold to local supermarkets
or exported to Trinidad, although it is also used
(with other ingredients) to make bottled drinks and
sold as bottled or canned concentrate. Due to the
over-exploitation of wild seamoss in the Caribbean,
seamoss cultivation is being pursued as a means of
maintaining the incomes of fisherfolk and allowing
regeneration of wild stocks.
The most commonly cultivated seamoss
is Gracilaria terete as it grows fast and produces
a relatively high yield. Gracilaria debilis
and Gracilaria crassissima are more difficult
to cultivate as they grow slowly and are extremely
fragile. They are however more suitable for making
bottled or canned concentrate and are often harvested
from wild stocks. Both species of seamoss produce
a carbohydrate (agar in Gracilaria and carrageenan
in Eucheuma) which dissolves in hot water and thickens,
forming a jelly, when cooled. Agar is the thickening
or gelling agent responsible for the characteristic
consistency of seamoss drinks and desserts.
Harvesting
Individuals and family groups, including
women and children, harvest the seamoss. It is usually
done to supplement household incomes and very little
start-up capital is required. Farmers along St Lucia's
south-eastern coast currently supply approximately
half of the island's demand for processed seamoss
and 90 per cent of the demand for the dried product.
Gracilaria species are mainly found
in shallow water, to a depth of approximately 10 metres.
Seamoss can easily be harvested from shallow reefs
when it becomes exposed during low tide. Seamoss from
reefs that are further offshore is usually harvested
by free diving. However, since wild stocks have declined
due to damaging harvesting methods (using knives to
cut the plant, for example), farmers on the island
are being encouraged to establish cultivation areas
to meet the demand for seamoss. Existing wild stocks
then have an opportunity to regenerate while harvesters
are educated in correct harvesting methods.
Seamoss Cultivation in Saint Lucia
The combination of growing demand
and decreasing natural populations of seamoss has
brought economic and environmental concerns. Acknowledging
the need for sustainable harvesting of seaweed, men
and women in the coastal communities of St Lucia have
been participating in the development and refinement
of seamoss cultivation techniques. The outcome has
been the first example of artisanal mariculture in
the region that has been successfully adopted by coastal
people as a viable occupation and source of income.
It is not always possible to farm
seamoss species in their natural habitat. The most
successful sites so far have been on parts of the
windward coasts where protection from excessive wave
action is provided by offshore reefs. Commercial seamoss
cultivation in St Lucia involves vegetative propagation
on floating lines or ropes, which are simple to install
and inexpensive. The bunches of seamoss are inserted
between the strands of rope, or into mesh tubes. The
long ropes are anchored at each end and have buoys
(often made from plastic soft-drink bottles) attached
at one-metre intervals so that they float at the water
surface. In 12 weeks approximately 2.5 kilograms (5½
pounds) of fresh weight per metre of rope is produced.
The successful growth of the Eucheuma
species has led to seed material being distributed
to five groups of farmers in communities on the south
and east coast of St Lucia. These farmers are now
concentrating on producing crops to be used for seed
material to expand the area under cultivation. Seed
material has also been transported to two locations
in Jamaica where cultivation of Gracilaria had previously
been tried with moderate success. The initial results
of cultivating Eucheuma in Little Bay and Discovery
Bay in Jamaica are very promising.
A Sustainable Future
The key to the CANARI project is the
involvement of local stakeholders in resource management,
which increases the likelihood that coastal resources
will be used in a sustainable manner. It represents
an important contribution to the development of alternative
approaches to coastal resource use in the Caribbean.
The most established commercial seamoss ventures are
located in St Lucia, but the technology has been transferred
to many islands, including Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica,
and Antigua. Seamoss cultivation and processing have
the potential to develop into significant industries
in each of these countries.
In the countries of the Caribbean,
as in other island nations where there is a high level
of direct economic dependence on the environment,
the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources
is one of the critical issues of regional development,
particularly as competition for ever-diminishing resources
increases. For sustainability and equity to become
a part of the Caribbean reality, communities and user
groups must become involved in decision-making about
the resources they depend on.
For further information about this
project, please contact:
| The Caribbean
Natural Resources Institute |
Trinidad (main office)
Fernandes Industrial Centre
Administration Building
Eastern Main Road
Laventille
Trinidad and Tobago
Tel. +1 868 626 6062
Fax +1 868 626 1788
Email: info@canari.org
Website: http://www.canari.org/
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St Lucia
New Dock Road
PO Box VF 383
Vieux Fort
St Lucia
Tel. +1 758 454 6060
Fax +1 758 454 5188 |
Websites
http://www.slubiodiv.org/
The Saint Lucia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries National Biodiversity Programme
www.slucia.com/seamoss
Seamoss Products from Saint Lucia
www.fao.org/fi
The Food and Agricultural Organisation Fisheries Department
http://www.ccanet.net/
The Caribbean Conservation Association
http://www.coastalmanagement.com/
http://www.enaca.org/
Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. Site
includes the free Aquaculture Asia Magazine.
http://www.aquanet.com/
Aquatic Network
Further Reading
Books from Earthscan
Making Waves: Integrating Coastal
Conservation and Development
W. Neil Adger, Katrina Brown and Emma L. Tompkins
£17.95, 2002, ISBN: 1853839124
Making Waves identifies the
dilemmas of managing conservation and development
in coastal areas. It is packed with important and
timely information and tools for the management, conservation
and assessment of social implications of coastal resource
use. The authors present a variety of methods and
techniques that can be used to highlight the trade-offs
and promote sustainable decisions among diverse users.
Their interdisciplinary analysis draws upon the latest
scientific knowledge as well as social science insights
on property rights and governance, with cases from
the developed and developing world. The book is important
reading for researchers and students in geography,
development studies and environmental planning and
also for practitioners in natural resource management
and coastal zone management.
Books from Amazon
(available to buy online at http://www.amazon.co.uk/)
Tropical Mariculture
Edited by Sena S. De Silva, School of Aquatic Science
& Natural Resources Management, Deakin University,
Victoria, Australia
£76.95, Academic Press, 1998, ISBN: 0122108450
Tropical Mariculture takes
an in-depth look at developmental activities in a
growing industry striving towards sustainability and
environmental integrity. All the contributors to this
book have considerable experience and expertise in
the field of tropical mariculture, and this is the
first book to bring expert contributions together.
The topics covered are wide and varied, ranging from
general issues such as the impact of mariculture on
coastal ecosystems to genetic improvement of cultured
marine species, as well as the specifics of breeding
selected marine species of current importance, such
as groupers and sea bass. Significant coverage is
also given to the problems of larval rearing in inland
aquaculture as well as the demands of water- and land-based
resources in a tropical environment. This book will
be essential for everyone working in and researching
tropical mariculture.
Handbook of Mariculture: Crustacean
Aquaculture
J.P. McVey
£140.00, 1993, ISBN: 0849302552
This book provides a comparison of
marine shrimp culture techniques from around the world.
This second edition focuses on growout systems that
have contributed to the production success of shrimp
farms and systems worldwide. Topics covered include:
methods for the culture and preparation of algae,
rotifers, 'Artemia' and other foodstuffs for use in
crustacean farms; recent developments on enriching
larval food organisms to improve crustacean diets;
conditioning and spawning penaeid shrimp; obtaining
and manipulating shrimp eggs and sperm for controlled
reproduction and use of intensive nursery raceways
for juvenile shrimp production; and discussions of
many types of marine shrimp growout systems. In addition,
culture systems used in Hawaii, Ecuador, Taiwan and
Japan are described in detail. Significant new information
from Japan on hormonal control of penaeid shrimp maturation
and spawning is discussed.
Responsible Marine Aquaculture
R.R. Stickney (Editor), J.P. McVey (Editor)
£65.00, 2002, ISBN: 0851996043
With the expansion of the world aquaculture
industry, there has been increasing concern over sustainability
and environmental impact. This book addresses this
topical issue, concentrating on marine aquaculture.
Chapters have been developed from a meeting of the
World Aquaculture Society, held in Florida in 2001,
although additional contributions have also been commissioned.
There is a focus on: minimal net utilisation of natural
resources; the production of healthy products for
food; appropriate regulations and policies; and there
are case studies from various geographical settings,
including North and Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.
Books from EarthPrint
Planning and management for sustainable
coastal aquaculture development
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
US$11.00, 2001, ISBN: 9251046344
This document is an output from
a project funded by the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and the European Commission (EC)
for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID or the
EC.
Acknowledgements
ITDG would like to thank Allan
Smith from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
for providing information on this project.
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