Mexico is the only Latin American country that has temperate, subtropical and tropical seas. No other country in the region has such diversity in its marine
environment. A number of studies have assessed the use of native species as raw material for obtaining agar and carrageenan Zertuche-González, 1988; Pérez-Enríquez, 1996a;
1996b; Freile-Pelegrín and Robledo, 1997, 2006; Robledo, 1998; Orduña Rojas and Robledo, 2002. Nevertheless, the major indigenous species do not appear in the list
of those that the United States Food and Drug Administration USFDA authorizes as raw material for the extraction of this colloid, thereby limiting the marketing of any
production to a few species. This has led to studies of introduced coldwater species such as Chondrus crispus Zertuche-González et al., 2001 and warm-water species
such as Kappaphycus alvarezii Muñoz, Freile-Pelegrín and Robledo, 2004, both of which are approved by the USFDA, and whose pilot studies have yielded promising
results. In this context, the commercial farming of the latter species in the tropical region of the Gulf of Mexico is deemed to have the greatest potential in the country.
2.1 Start-up in Mexico
In Mexico, K. alvarezii was introduced in 1999 in order to evaluate its potential for commercial-scale cultivation along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, especially in the
Yucatan peninsula. Farming of the species began in the context of experimental studies coordinated by the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto
Politécnico Nacional CINVESTAV,
1
which, with federal and state government support, established community links aimed at setting up a demonstration plot with
the assistance of 33 fishers from the community of Dzilam de Bravo. In 2002 and 2003, this community was deemed an ideal location for conducting a socio-economic
study in the context of community management of coastal resources and management of protected natural areas, including the farming of this seaweed as an alternative to
artisanal fishing Fraga, Arias and Angulo, 2006; Robledo and Townsend, 2006.
Research studies on seaweed farming in Mexico have primarily stemmed from academic interest, entailing assessment of algal resources and biotechnical
experimentation aimed at their exploitation andor cultivation. While these studies have provided valuable information, they have not directly led to the exploitation
and industrialization of seaweed. For example, commercial seaweed farming in the state of Yucatan has been developing for slightly more than ten years, including a
social assessment process with an artisanal fishing community in Dzilam de Bravo on the state’s central seaboard. These activities were preceded by preliminary studies
conducted by CINVESTAV, which assessed various techniques for farming the red seaweeds Gracilaria cornea and Eucheuma isiforme, producers of agar and carrageenan,
respectively. Intrigued by these experiences, and owing to the presence of researchers in the area, the local fishers became interested in the economic potential of seaweeds.
The first contact was established in 1995 via a local resident, a ranger at the Las Bocas de Dzilam Nature Reserve, who began assisting the prospective studies of natural
seaweed populations as a boat operator. In 1998, the initial contact person indicated that the president of the Dzilam de Bravo fishing cooperative was interested in
developing non-conventional business activities. In the same year, together with some members of this cooperative, CINVESTAV began the experimental farming of the
red seaweed Gracilaria cornea in an area called Mina de Oro, 4 km west of the port of Dzilam de Bravo. The location was chosen in accordance with certain ecological and
oceanographic criteria relating to the abundance of red seaweed.
Subsequently, information was generated via a project financed by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity known as CONABIO, its
acronym in Spanish aimed at preparing a handbook entitled “Technical Handbook:
1
Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute.
190
Marine Agriculture in Yucatan – Cultivation of Gracilaria cornea”, which was published in 1999 with financial assistance from the Ministry of the Environment,
Natural Resources and Fisheries SEMARNAP. This publication enabled the Yucatan office of SEMARNAP to convey its interest in seaweed farming techniques
by proposing two Temporary Employment Programmes PET in 2000 in two coastal communities in Yucatan Sisal and Dzilam de Bravo with the goal of testing seaweed
farming as a complementary or alternative activity to fishing. These programmes built on the results of the above-mentioned research projects. The fishing community
in Dzilam de Bravo was more receptive than the one in Sisal; as a consequence, an experimental farm was set up in Dzilam to farm Gracilaria between November 2000
and January 2001. The harvested seaweed was sold to a European agar processing company Iberagar to obtain agarose. These events led CINVESTAV researchers to
work jointly with the fishing community. Going beyond the promotion of seaweed farming, this cooperation entailed socio-economic engagement and the creation of
links with the scientific work in order to enable improved living conditions in the communities where the research was being carried out. These closer links generated
an interest in socio-economic research into this activity as an alternative to artisanal fishing in this community. In December 1999, a consultant from the International
Development Research Center IDRC of Canada visited the seaweed production unit and supported a proposal for in-depth investigation of seaweed farming as an
alternative activity to fishing, including an assessment of the social dimensions and the gender perspective. Financed by the Public Education Secretary SEP, 33 fishers set up
an experimental pilot farm of 3 000 m
2
on the coast of Dzilam de Bravo in March 2002, based on the species K. alvarezii, thereby diversifying the supply of raw material to
obtain carrageenan for industrialization in France and Denmark. However, Hurricane Isidore lashed the coasts of the Yucatan peninsula in September 2002 and destroyed the
farm, hampering the continuity of the project.
FIGURE 3
The developmental process of seaweed farming in Yucatan, Mexico
STAGE I STAGE II
STAGE III
Technoguide Marine Agronomy of Yucatán
Experimental farm 2002 SEP
Isidoro Hurricane Prospective work in
commercial species –Dzilam ishermen
transit and expectations
Experimental culture CONABIO
1994 -1998 2000 - 2002
2010
J U
N C
T U
R E
J U
N C
T U
R E
Mariculture programme SEMARNAT – PET – IDRC
POTENTIAL
2.2 Value chain
