The field of applied phycology is advancing at an unprecedented and exciting pace. The increased use of algae presents diverse challenges including the protection of natural algal populations, making algal biomass production sustainable and balancing these challenges against the interlinked water-food-energy demands of the world’s growing population. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN report on The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016 highlights the rapid 8% per year expansion of seaweed farming over the past decade, to just over 27 million tonnes.
The reviews in this Special Issue of the European Journal of Phycology span the full range of applied phycology, from microalgae to seaweeds, and from artisanal collection to commercial aquaculture – and the juxtaposition of these contrasting approaches to diverse organisms will stimulate further research and exploitation. We provide up-to-date reviews on the applications of algae (diet, agriculture and human health); the importance of seaweeds in the economy of remote communities in Europe, Asian and Africa and advances in determining the correct names for these algae; how microalgal aquaculture can be scaled up to full commercial production; and the techniques currently being used to improve the yield of algal strains. The articles look forward to the future of algal commercialization, and highlight areas of rapid advance.
The Special Issue is free to view until January 2018, access it here.
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tejp20/52/4?nav=tocList
