The Caribbean Sea contains a wide variety of seaweeds, of which about 10 species are harvested for food, providing an important supplemental income for men and women in coastal communities. In most places of the region, the edible seaweeds are called seamoss, in Jamaica they are called Irish moss and in Belize, just seaweed. The most commonly used are species of Gracilaria and Eucheuma, and these are generally processed into drinks and puddings at a community or industrial level. The seamoss produces carbohydrates, either agar or carrageenan, that dissolve in hot water and then thicken or form a gel when cooled. These carbohydrates, known as hydrocolloids, are produced on an industrial scale in many parts of the world and used in a range of processed foods and other products.

The remote, north coast of Trinidad is an important source of seamoss that is processed into packaged drinks for local and export markets. In 2001 the small north-coast community of Blanchisseuse decided to seek advice on the development of a management strategy for the seamoss resource, to ensure that the harvest in that area was sustainable. The Blanchisseuse Environmental Art Trust (BEAT), a local community-based organisation, approached CANARI with a request for assistance to begin the process through the Institute's Small Grants Programme, which was supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The aim of the small grant, which was approved in December 2002, was to gather background information on the resource, to describe its past and present importance to the community and to assess the potential for their participation in a management initiative. CANARI and the Institute for Marine Affairs (IMA) provided some technical assistance in the design of a survey of households and harvesters and the analysis of the results.Click here for a summary of the survey findings.

Gelidium serrulatum Gelidium serrulatum    J. Agardh Gelidium species are found in many parts of the world and are harvested for the production of high-quality agar in many countries including Spain, Japan, Mexico, Chile and South Africa. Like most of these species, G. serrulatum grows in shallow water on rocky shores. Plants grow to about fifteen centimetres or six to seven inches tall and are very tough and firmly attached to the rock. So far this species has only been recorded from the north coast of Trinidad and from Venezuela where some studies have been conducted on its growth and agar quality.

The species that is harvested at Blanchisseuse and elsewhere on Trinidad's north coast, is Gelidium serrulatum, which has not been reported from anywhere else in the West Indies. Like other Gelidium species it prefers exposed rocky shores, growing mainly in the intertidal zone. The plants are attached to the substrate with a tough holdfast which is usually removed with the plant when it is harvested, leaving no base to regenerate new shoots. The community survey showed that many people were concerned that this harvesting method may not be sustainable and could be the reason for a decline in the abundance which has occurred in some areas. Throughout the region the supply of seamoss from natural stocks has declined as a result of increasing demand, rising prices and over-harvesting. In many parts of the world commercial production of seaweeds now depends on cultivation and in the early 1980s a research programme was launched in Saint Lucia to investigate the possibility of farming some of the seamoss species. As a result of that early work, seamoss farming is now a source of income for people in a number of coastal communities in the region, focusing on fast-growing Caribbean species of Gracilaria and Eucheuma. However, while some Gelidium species have been cultivated experimentally in other countries, commercial cultivation of Gelidium serrulatum would not be feasible in the rough conditions of Trinidad's exposed north coast.

The next phase of this programme will therefore focus primarily on the management of the harvest of the existing stocks, through the following activities:

• Development of a management strategy based on field research to identify and promote sustainable harvesting methods;
• Production of educational materials in support of a campaign to increase public awareness of the importance of the seamoss resource and the options for sustainable use and enhanced economic returns;
• Documentation of the results for dissemination to other north coast communities whose livelihoods include harvesting the same seamoss species.

Project Milestones

• During 1999/2000, BEAT president, Mr. Kenneth Fournillier; Forester, Mr Raynaldo Phillip; and, then Head of National Parks, Ms. Robyn Cross began to document the indigenous knowledge on the culture and natural resources of the Blanchisseuse community through interviews and photographs.
• In 2001, the species of seamoss was identified as Gelidium serrulatum by the National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago, at the University of the West Indies. Its use for food in the region has not previously been documented. As with Gelidium species elsewhere, its agar has a high gel strength and preliminary analysis at CANARI has indicated that it is superior to that of any of the Gracilaria species that are most commonly used as seamoss in the region.
• With the assistance of the Institute of Marine Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, a household survey to assess the economic and cultural importance of the harvest to the community was undertaken by BEAT in December 2002.
• At the same time, another survey was also conducted by BEAT to gather information on the status of the resource, the location of the harvesting sites, the methods used in harvesting and processing, and trends in availability.
• The surveys revealed that the harvest is significant enough to justify a study of its management requirements.
• Two community workshops were held in December 2002 and in April 2003 at which the project was launched and the third in June 2003 at which the results of the surveys were presented and discussed.
• The Blanchisseuse Seamoss Planning Committee was established in early 2004. At its first meeting in February, representatives of BEAT, CANARI, IMA and UWI outlined a plan for the future development of the Gelidium harvest, focusing on issues of sustainability and enhanced economic benefits from the resource.
• A two-year research and public education programme is being developed with the support of a small planning grant from the UNDP Global Environment Facility, aimed at increasing public awareness of the status and potential of the resource and developing a participatory management strategy based on best harvesting practices.

References and Further reading

CANARI. 2003.The Caribbean Moss Bulletin. 9 :2 pp. (152 Kb)

Lemus, A., K. Bird, D.F. Kapraun and F. Koehn. 1991. Agar yield, quality and standing crop biomass of Gelidium serrulatum, Gelidium floridanum and Pterocladia capillacea, in Venezuela. Food Hydrocolloids 5(5):469-479

Richardson, W.D. 1975. The marine algae of Trinidad, West Indies. Bull. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. (Bot.) 5, 3. 143 pp.

Smith, A.H. 1997. Seamoss cultivation in the West Indies. CANARI Guidelines Series 1. 23 pp.

Smith, A.H. 1998. The seaweed resources of the Caribbean. Pages 324-330 in A.T. Critchley and M. Ohno, eds. Seaweed resources of the world. Japan International Cooperation Agency, Yokosuka, Japan. (180 Kb)

Bennett, A. 2004. BEAT Community Newsletter. 1 :4 pp. (270 Kb)

Results of the survey

Key findings of a survey of 120 households in Blanchisseuse, representing 10% of the community.

• Approximately 90% of respondents said that seamoss harvesting and use is an important tradition in the Blanchisseuse community and the same percentage of people involved in commercial production reported that it was an important part of their livelihoods.
• Over 80% of the households regularly purchase dried seamoss or prepared seamoss products.
• Most of the people involved in some aspect of commercial use of seamoss reported that it was an important part of their livelihoods.
• While these findings confirm the present importance of this resource, over 90% of respondents strongly believed that there was potential for greater economic benefits to be derived from the harvest, through the setting up of new small businesses and creating more employment opportunities.

Key findings of a survey of 14 commercial seamoss harvesters

• 34 different sites were identified along the north coast, ranging from Las Cuevas to Matelot, with Paria Bay being the most popular.
• Over 60% of harvesters believed that the seamoss was becoming harder to find.
• All except two harvesters advocated cutting plants rather than pulling them from the rock, to allow regrowth and faster regeneration.
• There is little agreement on the rate of regeneration of harvested areas and the time required to allow harvested areas to recover; five out of 14 claimed 4 to 6 months, but responses ranged from 1 to 3 months to 1 year.
• The more popular and accessible sites no longer support harvesting.
• Around 80% of harvesters felt that there should be some form of control, by the harvesters themselves, by the villagers or by the authorities. There was a suggestion to have a 'harvesting season' as well as to have guidelines on the best methods for harvesting.