Gracilaria Longline Cultivation |
Taranto, Italy 1993-1994 |
|
Ref: Cuomo, et al., 1997 Int.
J. Env. St. 52(4):297
|
| Mariculture with seaweed and mussels for marine environmental
restoration and resources production Authors: Cuomo, V. Merrill, J. Palomba, I. De Maio, L. Gargiulo, M. Cuomo, A. Sebastio, C. International Journal of Environmental Studies; 1997, 52(4) 297 Key term(s) Bioremediation Mariculture Aquaculture Abstract: At present there is increased worldwide interest in mariculture of seaweed, which is not only an activity to produce resources, but it is also a way to contribute to solve the eutrophication problem. Mar Piccolo of Taranto (South Italy) represents a typical polluted enclosed sea. Our proposed biotechnology is based mainly on the cultivation of macroalga Gracilaria verrucosa, which is naturally occurring in this basin, and the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, which has been for a long time cultivated in that area. Mussels have great capability for removing fine particles. Unfortunately, intensive mussels cultivation increases pollution due to their producing ammonia. It is in this circumstance that we can consider the benefits of the polyculture of Gracilaria with mussels. While there exists extensive scientific and technical information on the culture of mussels in Mar Piccolo, such is not the case for Gracilaria verrucosa, which had not been attempted before. For this reason, starting in 1993, we began an evaluation of the quality of this seaweed resource harvestable from natural populations in the Second Inlet; based on these results, we initiated cultivation experiments in 1994. In this report, we discuss and evaluate the possibility of applying an integrated aquaculture system based on suspended cultivation of Gracilaria verrucosa and long-line rearing of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto; we present and discuss our very promising preliminary result for Gracilaria verrucosa cultivation in the Mar Piccolo Second Inlet. |
Click image for larger version (each 75-150 kB, ca. 10-15 sec. @ 56k)
Good biomass on mesh rope (fullrope1.JPG) |
Eutrophication in Mar Picolo, Taranto, Italy. ( greentide21.jpg) |
Fully developed mesh rope (holding1.JPG) |
Young mesh rope (holding2.JPG) |
Closeup of mesh rope at ca. 30 days (meshrope2.JPG) |
Mesh rope with scale ( meshscale01.jpg) |
Young mesh rope (youngrope1.JPG) |
Young plants tied to longline (youngtie1.JPG) |