A commercial feasibility of Graciluria domingensis farming using unprotected planting systems on the Caribbean Coastal Zone, Panama

Resumen

Since 1979, due to the Carter-Torrijos Treaty. serious conservations programs to protect a unique mangrove forest and coral reef ecosystems located at the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal have been established by Gracilarias de Panamá, S.A., an Acelerador Tecnológico, part of the City of Knowledge. A diverse seaweed f-arms technique has been installed on the surrounding coastal zone of the Caribbean area of the Colon District. This seaweed farms serve as a buffer zone between the coastline and the land. This paper shows a commercial feasibility of an unprotected seaweeds farms of Glacilaria domingensis used as a food and cultural reason by Kuna Indians and Afroantillans communities on the Caribbean coast of the Republic of Panama. The unprotected seaweed farms systems were established in collaboration of the University of California, Berkeley, with the main objective to mitigate the impact into a pristine coastal area that has a great demand to develop and at the same time to solve the primary needs of local fishermen of this area using unprotected seaweeds farms systems that reduce the cost of the installation of the farms. The results of the experiment showed that Gracilaria spp. can be cultivated mainly in sand plain habitats on the Caribbean coast of the district of Colon; Panama. But many factors affected growth of Gracilaria spp. besides unprotected planting system. For example, habitats may have a relatively unique level of production.

Palabras clave:

Gracilaria crops, Gracilaria farms techniques, unprotected seaweed farms techniques, agar-agar Semillas de Gracilaria, técnicas de granjas marinas de algas, técnicas sin protección de granjas de algas marinas, Agar-agar