Experimental investigations for the mariculture ofGracilaria in Saldanha bay, South Africa

Abstract

Rope rafts were used to evaluate the growth of localGracilaria gracilis at Saldanha Bay, on the west coast of South Africa, over four years. The plants were grown on horizontally-suspended ropes or netting lines. Relative Growth Rates (RGR) of plants on ropes with low stocking weights often exceeded 10% d−1 in (austral) summer, and fell to between 6 and 7.5% d−1 in winter. Commercial-style lines of plastic netting stocked at 400 g m−1 and placed 0.75 m apart yielded a mean of about 2 kg m−2 30 d−1, with a mean RGR of about 5% d−1 over a two-year period. Various methods of improving yields were tested, including attaching floats to individual lines and optimising stocking weight. In Saldanha Bay in late summer, warm, oligotrophic water can severely reduce growth. Growth was optimised by growing the plants as close as possible to the surface (0.2 m), where water motion, and by implication, nutrient uptake, are higher. Agar content and gel strength generally remained high all year round. The potential for commercial production is evaluated in the light of these results.