SAMS viewpoint

The seaweed production business is booming around the world, prompting a new call from a UN agency for stricter policies to safeguard the industry. The seaweed business is “undergoing a rapid global expansion,” according to a new report released Saturday by the United Nations University, a global think-tank headquartered in Japan, with institutes located in a dozen countries around the world, including Canada. “Unabated exponential growth in the last 50 years has meant that the value of the industry reached US$6.4 billion in 2014, providing jobs, predominantly in developing and emerging economies,” says the policy brief, crafted by the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. “There is increasing need to address new challenges imposed by trade and market.  Click here to read more