A program in Taiwan has successfully cultivated two types of native giant seaweed, or marine algae, enabling the restoration of marine habitats, the National Academy of Marine Research said on Monday.
The cultivation of the macroalgae species would ensure a stable supply of seedlings and enhance ocean carbon sinks, the academy said in a statement.
The academy, which falls under the Ocean Affairs Council, earlier this year collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Research Institute to build a farm to grow large seaweeds at the institute’s Mariculture Research Center, and developed techniques for the mass culture of native giant seaweed species, it said.
Photo courtesy of the National Academy of Marine Research
As part of the project, researchers collected 48 native large seaweed species from the ocean off southern Taiwan and moved them to tanks on land to cultivate in large amounts, the academy said.
The research team designed the tanks and improved the algae production and cultivation model — including by regulating natural light sources, using flowing water without fertilization and reducing the labor cost of harvesting algae — to provide a stable source of algae for high-value recycling, it said.
Two types of native large seaweeds, Caulerpa lentillifera, commonly known as “sea grapes,” and Gracilaria firma, were found to be suitable for mass production, the center said.
During the cultivation and mass production process, these species were found to be able to survive in unfavorable conditions such as high water temperatures and drastic changes in salinity, the center said.
After one month of cultivation, the biomass changed, and the growth rate increased by up to nine times for Caulerpa lentillifera and three times for Gracilaria firma.
The academy on July 13 delivered the mass-produced giant algae to the Fisheries Research Institute, which shipped them using its research ship to artificial algal field facilities in the Taiwan Strait for cultivation and testing.
These macroalgae would be used in research related to marine carbon sinks, as they have excellent carbon-absorption properties and can help control pollution, the center said.
They could be used in high-value industries, such as food, biomedicine, energy and environmental protection and would help promote the government’s policy of transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050 by enhancing ocean carbon sinks and benefiting marine ecosystems, the academy said.
TRAGEDY: An expert said that the incident was uncommon as the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into an IDF engine was ‘minuscule’ A master sergeant yesterday morning died after she was sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer, surnamed Hu (胡), was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was pulled into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but could not be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS