kelp

" Kelp is a kind of sub-frigid zone species. In China the culture of kelp was started in 1950’s. In 1958 the kelp was introduced in the south of China, from then kelp culture achieved a remarkable boost in production. Now the kelp was cultured in the coastal area which from Liaoning to Fujian province. The total production of kelp culture is about half of the total marine aquaculture. Currently, the yield of kelp seems to be about 700,000 dry tons, amounting to some 3,500,000 wet tons, but precise figures are difficult to get. There are two basic floating-raft kelp cultivation methods. One is the hanging-kelp rope (also called single-raft) cultivation method. The other is the horizontal kelp rope (also called double-raft) cultivation method. Recently, the kelp produced in China has been employed in the processing of synthetic feed use in mariculture. Formerly the kelp was sold on the market only in its crude dried form, but recently small package of shredded and seasoned forms with different flavors have been introduced to the market and have been very well received by the Chinese people."