Hi, Leila.

You mentioned that in Southern Brazil, temperature [I assume this refers to water temperaure] during winter was 18 and too low for the seaweed.  The seaweeds were then grown in shrimp effluent with biofloc.  I would like to know: 

1. If water temperature in the field was 18, what was the water temperature when seaweeds were kept in shrimp effluent with biofloc?

2. How were the seaweeds maintained during these winter months?  How long were the seaweeds kept before out-planting again?

3.  What is the water temperature when you start out-planting of the seaweeds that were kept in land -based facilitiies during winter?

4. Based on your long experience, what is the lowest temperature that your seaweeds can tolerate (stay alive but does not grow) and the temperature where growth is lowest but not zero. 

5. In the subtropical areas of Brazil, is there any fully operational seaweed farm that had /is continuously producing seaweeds in commercial quantities? IF there are, how do they maintain their seaweeds during winter?

Thank you very much.

Hi Siti
Thank you for your comments. Answering your questions:
1. The 18 degrees I mentioned is in the seawater. The air temperature can achieve 8 degrees or less here. In the tanks, with the shrimp biofloc effluent, we used to keep between 23 to25 degrees celsius.
2. We used to keep the seedling in tanks for 3 months, usually June, July and August. However, the last 3 years (2018, 2019 and 2020), the water temperature was not so cold, and we could keep the seedlings in the sea.
3. The water temperature to outplanting need to achieve 20 degrees.
4. The limit for our seedlings is 18 degrees. They can survive until this temperature. Below that, they died.
5. We just had the permission to start the commercial activities. The winter time is still a bottleneck for the production. Keep some kg in tanks is easy, but tonnes start to be difficult. We are thinking in solutions.

Thank you again.

Thank you very much, Dr. Leila., just s few points more:
What has been the largest biomass of seaweed that you have kept in the hatchery that survived the overwintering period and grew well when out-planted.?
What is the most frequent cause of seaweeds not surviving the over-wintering st
Do you know of anybody else, aside from your team, in Brazill or in other countries, who are also trying to do commercial Kappapnhycus farming under subtropical conditions. ?
Thank you again, and wishing you the best of luck in your research and farming trials.

Hello Leyla,

I hope you are well. I would like to know if you have any info on the cost of the floating rafts and the harvesting machinery as well as the productivity and yield (MT/Ha/year) of the Kappaphycus marine farms in Santa Catarina.

Could you share any data on the financial aspects? (i.e. investment, IRR)?

Thank you very much,

Raúl

Hi Alan.

Thank you for the questions. 

Two species was introduced in Brazil: Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatus. The first species produced tetraspores after a huge effort in the laboratory, and these strains were not able to survive in the see conditions. Only one survive until nowadays, and it has been kept in laboratory, because it is weak and easily contaminated in sea farm. You can see more details in Paula et al. (1999). Kappaphycus striatus, in its turn, produced viable tetraspores and because of that, it was forbidden in Brazil. The initial seedstock is still in laboratory, and some colour strains derived from it. I think we can assume that the sporogenesis lost in K. alvarezii. The critical low temperature is below 20 degrees, and in 18 degrees all seedlings die.

Hello Raul. The harvesting machine costs around USD 2,000 without the vessel, before the pandemia. Now it should be something like USD 800.
About the buoys, around USD 50.
In relation to the productivity and yield, we are working on this, considering the new system and in monoculture or integrated with mollusks .
Soon we will publish this data. We have some preliminary data published in Santos et al. 2018: Socioeconomic analysis of the seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and mollusks (Crassostrea gigas and Perna perna) farming in Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil.
Thank you.

In my presentation I am providing information about the introductions of Kappaphycus that have been legally authorized by the Brazilian Environment Institute (IBAMA). All these introductions have been widely studied and published in the Brazilian and international literature and documented by the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA). Despite the authorization of 2008 for Kappaphycus farming, the information I have is that the legalized activity in Rio de Janeiro started in 2019, with the concession of specific areas for the seaweed cultivation. As part of a public non-profit University, my duty is to disseminate information that can be accurately substantiated. However, if there is any legal documentation that I have missed that demonstrate that this activity in Rio de Janeiro started prior 2019, please make it public.

Dear Leila,

1. At the beginning of your presentation, you mention the existence of a license. Do you mean a license for seaweed farmers, or a license for using the area to cultivate the seaweed?
2. How about the availability of seedling? are the farmers from your country get the good seedling from their own seedling efforts or they have to buy from other country?
3. I'm also interested in getting to know more detail about the oval buoys presented by you. Is the oval buoys already familiar to be used in Brazil?

Dear Leila,
Sorry I have one more question:
You also mentioned about tank cultivation during winter season. Is the tank used for maintaining the seedling used for next planting season ?

Dear Miguel:
The documents you sent are listed below:
1. Internal memo from the Brazilian Environmental Institution (IBAMA) suggesting Miguel Sepulveda to issue an opinion on the introduction and experimental cultivation of K. alvarezii in São Paulo, since he was a consultant for the Agricultural Research and Extension Enterprise of Santa Catarina (EPAGRI) (dated on 08/01/1997).
2. IBAMA official letter requesting the participants of a technical meeting for their contributions regarding a draft of a legal ordinance to deal with the introduction of Kappaphycus alvarezii in São Paulo (dated 06/05/1997).
3. Letter from EPAGRI with information about Miguel Sepulveda as requested by IBAMA, attesting to his position in the Enterprise at that time (dated 28/11/1996).
4. List of people and companies where an unspecified correspondence was sent (no date).
5. Letter from Miguel Sepulveda sent to IBAMA in response to allegations of Dr. Edison José de Paula (no date).
6. Certificate by the Marine Shrimp Laboratory (the Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC) attesting the reception of Kappaphycus alvarezii for quarantine (dated 03/09/2020).
7. Declaration attesting that UFSC's Laboratory of Marine Shrimp has the infrastructure to carry out quarantine (no date)
8 and 9. Fax from Marine Shrimp Laboratory (UFSC) to Venzuela attesting the above (7) (dated 08/09/1998).
10. Request to issue a certificate of origin from Venezuela (dated 08/09/1998).
11. Venezuela Phytosanitary Certificate (dated 09/09/1998).
13. Certificate attesting Miguel Sepulveda's visit to a company in Venezuela (dated 08/09/1998).
14. Legal notice from IBAMA to Miguel Sepulveda to present, within 30 days, the record of cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii in Rio de Janeiro (dated 18/08/1999).
15. Letter from Sete Ondas Biomar CEO certifying that they received seaweed from Miguel Sepulveda on 05/05/2004 (dated 14/05/2004).

Some documents were duplicated.

To effectively regulate the farming, the applicant must comply with DECREE No. 10.576, OF DECEMBER 14, 2020 and INTERMINISTERIAL NORMATIVE INSTRUCTION No. 06 OF MAY 31, 2004, in addition to state and municipal regulations, specific to each geographical area. I didn’t find any of the these legal documents in the list you sent.

Several Institutions from the Brazilian Government, including the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Agricultural Research and Extension Company of Santa Catarina (EPAGRI), São Paulo Fisheries Institute (IP-SP), University of São Paulo (USP), and Research Institute of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ), have been working together since 1995, providing the environmental agencies results for the responsible implantation of this seaweed in the Brazilian territory. All this work, reported in several international publications, has translated in the authorization of the commercial farming of K. alvarezii in Southeast and South Brazil.

Dear Leila,

Unfortunately your presentation, although interesting, is very incomplete with regard to the legalization process of Kappaphycus in Rio de Janeiro. This process started in 1998 and at that time you were not yet part of this process and were not a representative of UFSC university.
All documents presented by me here are from the government, I believe some you didn't even know about.
Anyway, I'll be presenting a video here on Phyconomy.org about this theme "The seaweed Farming in Brazil" specifically about Rio de Janeiro State.
I believe it will also be valuable to the Phyconomy coalition.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND SUPPLY:

FINAL AUTHORIZATION OPINION FOR THE USE OF PHYSICAL SPACES IN UNION DOMAIN WATER BODIES FOR AQUACULTURE PURPOSES (Kappaphycus Faming in Rio de Janeiro State) for Miguel Sepulveda.