Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This bachelor thesis is written within the subject area of environmental science, for the Department of aquatic resources at SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) in cooperation with the Portuguese seaweed company, ALGAplus - Produção e Comercialização de Algas e seus Derivados, Lda - where an internship took place. ALGAplus is a seaweed producing company that provides a range of different seaweeds and are all grown organically. As ALGAplus works under the Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture concept (IMTA), AlgaPlus also cultivates fish, although the core business of the company is seaweed production. Abiotic factors play major roles in seaweed cultivation. ALGAplus has measured and collected abiotic data throughout the years of 2021 and 2022. With an interest in optimizing quality and quantity of different seaweed species, this essay has analysed abiotic data such as salinity, temperature and solar irradiance. A few additional abiotic factors for macroalgal cultivation such as nutrients, wave activity, tides and pH are being discussed briefly together with seaweed related topics.