Sea bottom culture ofChondracanthus chamissoi(Rhodophyta: Gigartinales) by vegetative propagation at Puerto Aldea, Tongoy Bay (Northern Chile)

Abstract

Seaweed exploitation in Chile has increased over the last decades, resulting in a reduction of seaweeds landings and the overharvesting of natural beds. In response, ecological baselines for their sustainable exploitation and the development of seaweed aquaculture have been implemented. In recent years, the culture of commercial red seaweed Chondracanthus chamissoi has been developed experimentally by spore and vegetative reproduction. These methods are facilitated by the formation of secondary attachment discs (SADs), generated to fasten the inoculated algae to substrates. In this study, the vegetative propagation was carried over an artificial substrate installed in a sea bottom culture system. The biomass yields, total amount of epiphytes, length of new thalli and number of SADs, per season and culture times (1, 2, 3 and 4 months) are reviewed in this work. Chondracanthus chamissoi showed growth under all treatments, with a maximum accumulated biomass of 60 g m−1, recorded in summer, and with no significant differences in biomass yield reported in autumn and spring seasons. A similar pattern was observed for epiphyte biomass, while the greatest SAD number and thalli lengths were recorded in winter.