Seaweed farming attracts experts from Chile

Ecuadornews:

A group of academic experts and artisanal fishermen from Chile are in Guayaquil to participate in an aquaculture development exchange. The program includes talks and visits. Yesterday they visited an algae crop in Santa Rosa, Salinas.

The algae grown there are of Asian origin, an attractive fact that led the experts to investigate how an introduced species develops in Ecuador. Carrageenan is extracted from this algae, this substance strengthens the immune system and inhibits the formation of tumors. Although the properties of carrageenan are still under debate in the world, it is widely used in the US and Europe.

For Adolfo Alvial, manager for the Los Lagos Region, of the Chilean Corporation for the Promotion of Production (Corfo), the project is very interesting insofar as it has no negative effect on the environment and the production volume.

Source: http://www.expreso.ec/economia/el-cultivo-de-algas-en-salinas-atrae-a-expertos-de-chile-MF1326943