Seaweed replacing feed for organic shrimp

Scientists at the Institute of Oceanological Investigation (IIO) from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) in partnership with industry, is growing seaweed for organic shrimp farming.

The organic seaweed produced in the Laboratory of Biotechnology is sent to Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa and fed to  shrimp. Large number of invertebrates grow on the algae and provide the fatty acids abset in the seaweed, Isaí Pacheco Ruiz, director of the IIO, told El Vigía newspaper.

The report quotes Ruiz

After harvesting, the juice is extracted from the plants and used as organic agricultural fertilizer for corn, tomatoes, nuts and apples; the dry matter is used to feed earthworms that produce humus as an organic fertilizer.

The antiviral and anti-cancerous properties of the macroalgae are also being investigated.