XVI International Botanical Congess

As fish aquaculture expands, its environmental impact has to be constrained. A promising approach to the bioremediation of the loading of inorganic nutrients in coastal waters is polyculture, in which seaweeds act as biological nutrient removal systems. In proximity to fish aquaculture, Porphyra (nori) reaches phosphorus and nitrogen contents higher than other macroalgae and its phycobiliprotein contents increase. Its frequent harvesting amounts to constant removal of significant quantities of nutrients. Mutual benefits for co-cultured organisms allows the production of another value-added marine crop for the food market (nori) and industrial/biotechnological uses (taurine, phycoerythrin).