Baywatch India: Top five pricey reds

Abstract

With a coastline of ca 7000 km, Indian coastal region is one of the longest in the world and harbors a rich diversity of seaweeds. However, attempts to utilize this economically valuable marine resource have been scanty, or even nonexistent. The primary reason for this is scarcity of competent phycologists from India, and therefore most of the diversity still remain to be explored. Some progress have been made since 2012, having completed five systematic research expeditions targeting coasts of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and West Bengal to profile DNA-based phylogenetic diversity of seaweeds supported by DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award. In this article five of the most important naturally occurring red seaweeds of Indian coastal region ( Porphyra keralensis Sp. Nov., Kappaphycus alverazi, Eucheuma denticulatum, Grateloupia ettikkulensis Sp.Nov., and Hypnea valentiae) are introduced that have great economic potentials spanning across food, pharmaceutical, scientific and hydrocolloid industries. As habitats of these seaweeds are in coastal villages of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands where fishing is the main source of income for local communities, it is expected that utilizing these seaweed resources efficiently and sustainably will contribute substantially to the livelihood of these rustic communities.