Growth - Production of Macroalgae for Human Consumption in the Pacific Northwest

This proposal will focus on the production of fresh macroalgae in a land-based system. This type of production system avoids the regulatory and permitting issues associated with water-based systems, allows precise control of the rearing environment, reduces harvesting and management costs, and reduces nutrient discharges. While macroalgae can enhance human health, specific information is needed to ensure that this product is wholesome and safe to consume. Very little information is available on the composition of farmed raised macroalgae, contaminant levels, bacterial content, and post-harvest quality issues. This research will focus on three local macroalgae: Turkish towel (Chondracanthus exasperatus), Pacific dulse (Palmaria palmata), and sea lettuce (Ulva rigida). Dulse and sea lettuce are widely eaten in Canada and Europe.

This basic information is needed to support the development of commercial macroalgae aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest. This research will be conducted at the Sol-Sea Farm; a production aquaculture facility located at the NOAA/NMFS research station in Manchester, WA. Current work will focus on improving product quality and reducing operational costs.

Growth data.

Subject to Public Access to Research Results (PARR): Yes

At this time, contact the Data Manager for information on obtaining access to this data set. In the near future, the NWFSC will strive to provide all data resources as a web service in order to meet the NOAA Data Access Policy Directive (https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.DA.php).

NA

These data were collected and processed in accordance with established protocols and best practices under the direction of the project’s Principal Investigator. Contact the dataset Data Manager for full QA/QC methodology.

Manuscript preparation.

The results of this work will be published in a journal

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center facilitates backup and recovery of all data and IT components which are managed by IT Operations through the capture of static (point-in-time) backup data to physical media. Once data is captured to physical media (every 1-3 days), a duplicate is made and routinely (weekly) transported to an offsite archive facility where it is maintained throughout the data's applicable life-cycle.

Initial and final weights measured every two weeks