Possibilities for Adriatic seaweed exploitation

Abstract

        The paper deals with World and Yugoslavian seaweed investigations. Short survey of the development of the investigations and exploitation of the seaweed in the world has been stressed a great economic importance of the numerous brown and red algal species. Because of the increased demands toward seaweed utilization, in near future, a greater economic importance might be expected.

        Survey of the obtained results regard to Adriatic seaweed, such as: idioecology, distribution, biomass, physiology, chemical composition as well as studies for their industrial exploitation purposes points out, that those investigations are prelimi­narlly in character and insufficient.

         As fas as qualitative composition of the Adriatic seaweed settlements is concerned it has been stated their richness. On the contrary, quantitatively they are relativelly poor for industrial exploitation unless as fertilizers in agriculture, demastic ­animal fodder, additional human food and pharmaceutic use.

        Before any final conclusion of the potential possibilities of the Adriatic seaweed, author points out, necessity toward intensive and long-term investigations, especially taking in consideration qualitative and quantitative seaweed aspects. Such investigations should cover the seasonal and ecologycaly conditioned variations within the phytobenthonic biomass, involving in it quantity and chemical composition studies as well as floristic aspects.