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Tropical Red Seaweeds
as a
Foundation for Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
Four propositions and an action plan for this major
opportunity in the Coral Triangle |
| SEAPlant.net Monograph no. HB2E 1108 V2 IMTA, by Iain C. Neish |
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| FOUR PROPOSITIONS AND AN ACTION PLAN |
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A. CORAL TRIANGLE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
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A substantial proportion of the world’s poor live along seashores of the Coral Triangle where there can be comparative advantage for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) that engage in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA);
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| B. SUSTAINABLE, INTEGRATED AQUACULTURE |
| Seaweeds and other seaplants are aquaculture cash crops that provide the primary productivity base for building sustainable MSME based on IMTA
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| C. INNOVATION THROUGH RELATIONAL VALUE-CHAINS |
| Relational value-chain governance can foster innovative development of near-shore processing and IMTA and can thus provide sound business opportunities that contribute to poverty alleviation, prosperous seashore communities and sustainable seashore development
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| D. A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY |
Over the next two decades adequate investment in IMTA development by MSME in the Coral Triangle can result in added global fisheries production worth tens of billions of US dollars per annum that must come from innovative aquaculture rather than from failing capture fisheries |
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E. ACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
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Evidence is provided in support of these propositions and suggestions are made as to how opportunities for seaplant-based IMTA can be developed in support of poverty alleviation and sustainable seashore development along tropical seashores. |
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Seaplants such as macroalgae, microalgae, sea-grasses and mangroves form the primary productivity base for seashore habitats and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. In the long run the aquaculture productivity of global seashores can be maximized if seaplants are effectively developed as cash crops, feeds, fodder and bio-mitigation agents within IMTA systems that make optimal use of lower trophic-level species.
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In the Coral Triangle 400 million people live in archipelagos that have 100,000 kilometres of tropical seashore distributed among more than 25,000 islands. About 80 million of these people live below the poverty line and many aspire to gain a sustainable livelihood from well managed seashore habitats. IMTA development along can generate tens of billions of USD in annual income for enterprises owned and operated by these people. IMTA can be developed on the basis of already existing technology, it addresses existing market demands, it can alleviate poverty for millions of people and it can generate positive environmental impacts.
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