Economic importance of algae

Abstract

Many algae are or significant economic value due to their biological role in ecosystems and as sources of commercially significant products, while others have an economic cost caused by their impact on the environment. The total glohal commercial harvest of seaweeds in 1994-95 was 439,986 tonnes fresh weight of chlorophytes, 4,736,519 tonnes of phaeophytes and 2,770,249 tonnes of rhodophytes, an increase of 376% for chlorophytes, 167% for rhodophytes and 97% for phaeophytcs since 1984. Ihe total value or this production is estimated to be more than US$4-1O billion for food algae and US$2.6 billion for phycocolloids. To this has to be added the value of mic-roalgae and microalgal products and the negative economic impacts of algal blooms, etc. This chapter considers the economic importance of algae with particular reference to Australia.