The collection, utilization and potential farming of red seaweeds in Namibia

Abstract

Lüderitz is situated on the southwest coast of Africa, about 15° longitude and 27° latitude, on the Atlantic coast of the Namib Desert (Fig. 1). The red seaweed Gracilaria verrucosa (Simons, 1976) grows in the areas known as Lüderitz Harbour and Robert Harbour — two sandy lagoons in a larger bay system. These seaweeds have been collected in a very sporadic manner since 1950 (Isaac, 1964). Only since 1975 (Rotmann, 1985) have more organized methods for the production of G. verrucosa been used, and only since 1981 has an intense effort been made to transform the collection into a well- organized operation.