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If any nation has unlocked the full potential of seaweed, it’s Ireland. The earliest records show the sixth-century monks living on Skellig Michael off the southwest coast already made use of it, collecting wild dulse to eat and fertilise their rocky terrace gardens.

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi has successfully implemented the Government of India's Scheduled Caste Sub Plan Project for helping the Scheduled Caste families in Puthukudi Village, Thondi, Thiruvadanai Taluk in Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu to empower them through the seaweed and marine ornamental fish farming.

The expanding seaweed industry is an asset for coastal communities, however the challenge will be to develop it further in a sustainable manner.

Vincent Doumeizel, the founder of the Global Seaweed Coalition, a senior adviser on oceans for the United Nations Global Compact and author of The Seaweed Revolution, works to responsibly grow the global seaweed farming sector.

FAO GLOBEFISH now features specialized reporting on seaweed in its Quarterly Species Analysis expanding its market intelligence coverage under the flagship GLOBEFISH Highlights publication. It brings focused reporting on a product group that is becoming increasingly important in global aquatic food systems, both for direct food use and for further processing into food ingredients.

Seaweed farming for food, beauty products, fertilizers and other uses has rapidly gained momentum in the western hemisphere. However, as the industry has matured and realistic market values have emerged, economic challenges have slowed growth. Increasingly, new growers have been struggling to build stable, long-term business plans.

Welsh seaweed and shellfish farmers have been given the go-ahead to expand two sea farms, a decision which will create jobs and increase production of a regeneratively-grown, trial-proven seaweed alternative to chemical fertiliser.