Marine agriculture is also known as mariculture or aquaculture, although aquaculture is a more general term referring to both freshwater and marine farming of organisms. The world's oceans cover approximately three-fourths of the globe, including vast regions of unexplored life and landforms. The potential for exploiting the oceans agriculturally is great but currently meets significant obstacles. Because of the expense of equipment and personnel involved, most marine species are not cultivated. Coastal pollution, habitat destruction, competition for land use, and economics all limit mariculture programs. Nevertheless, mariculture does offer several food, medical, and other products that are currently being marketed.
Food
Seaweeds are edible, especially the red and brown algae. The three most common types of seaweeds are known by their Japanese names: nori (Porphyra), red seaweed high in vitamin С and digestible protein; kombu (Laminaria); and wakame (Undaria), high in calcium.
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Medicine
The use of marine plants in medicine is still in the early stages of exploration and faces many challenges, including identification of useful chemicals and the cultivation of significant quantities.
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Other Uses
Marine plants are used for a variety of other purposes. Seaweed is used as a component of many fertilizers, as a food additive in animal feed, and to reduce soil acidity.
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