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COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



abundantly clear that the shipment of U. S. food sur- 

 pluses abroad will be flatly denied to those nations who 

 fail to take concrete measures aimed at agricultural 

 reform, a nd increasing agricultural pr oduction. 

 Nntj: RfTORT ON FISHERY ACTIONS IN 89TH CONGRESS ; The U. S. De- 

 partment of Interior's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries has issued a leaflet on 



the status of most legislation of interest to commercial fisheries at the end 

 of the 1st session of the 89th Congress. For copies of MNL — 3 "Legislative 

 Actions Affecting Commercial Fisheries, 89th Congress, 1st Session 1965, " 

 write to the Fisher/ Market News Service, U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fish- 

 eries, 1815 N. Fort Myer Drive, Rm. 510, Arlington, Va. 22209. 



SEAWEED SUPPLIES MAY BECOME LOW 



Eixtracts from seaweeds such as Irish moss, kelp androckweed find more than 40 dif- 

 ferent uses in the food, pharmaceutical and textile industries and in agriculture. 



Five species of seaweeds are now being harvested commercially in the Canadian At- 

 lantic provinces --dulse, Irish moss, Ascophyilum, Gigartina, and Furcellaria. Dulse is 

 sold for human consumption and the other seaweeds are processed for the production of 

 gelling agents, such as sodium alginate and carrageenan, which find wide use in the food 

 and pharmaceutical industries. 



Though man is only beginning to make full use of the ocean as a source of food and 

 other items, Canadian scientists are becoming worried that some of the demands will be 

 too great. 



The value of seaweed harvested in the Canadian Maritime Provinces --Nova Scotia, 

 New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island--is now about one million dollars annually. 

 There is considerable industrybased on the collection of widely scattered wild plants. Fur- 

 ther industry growth will place additional demands onknownbeds of commercially-impor- 

 tant species. While surveys will probably reveal new sources, it is quite possible that cul- 

 tivation of selected species of seaweeds will become necessary, according to the scientist 

 in charge of plant physiology at the Canadian National Research Council's Atlantic Region- 

 al Laboratory in Halifax. Seaweed cultivation studies have been initiated on a small scale. 

 The work is expected to be expanded with the establishment of a field station. Present re- 

 search is concerned with the environmental factors controlling growth of different spe- 

 cies of seaweeds. Surveys already conducted show that seaweeds grow in Canada's coast- 

 al waters, and additional species are likely to be discovered. Although most species of 

 seaweeds grow in the intertidal zone where they are fully or partially exposed at low tide, 

 a considerable number grow well below the surface. It is in deep water that the large 

 weeds are found. Agarum, a species of kelp commonly known as the sea colander, has 

 been found growing in extensive beds at a depth of 50 to 60 feet. Although rarely seen, 

 this is an abundant seaweed on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Little is known about the 

 chemistry of most of the species of seaweed found on the Atlantic coast. Chemical stud- 

 ies continue to reveal new and interesting compounds, some not previously found in nature. 

 Commercial potentialities for these compounds remain to be assessed. 



An interesting weed recently discovered by Canadian researchers is a red alga ( Poly- 

 siphonia arctica) that thrives at depths of 100 feet and was not previously found growing 

 in the areiu One of the most important gelling agents found in seaweeds is agar. There 

 are no species in the Atlantic region being used for production of agar but the seaweed, 

 Gracilaria , which contains a gelling agent similar to agar grows in the warmer waters of 

 the region. (Reprinted, with permission from Science News , weekly summary of current 

 science, copyright 1966 by Science Service, IncT) 



