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영어

Seaweeds provide a habitat and serve as spawning beds, breeding and feeding grounds for coastal fish, shellfish as well as other important fisheries resources (Terawaki et al., 2001), which are commercially important in themselves (Watanuki and Yamamoto, 1990). Seaweeds
have been reevaluated as food sources, medical, industrial uses and CO2 sinker in Korea. In recent years, many countries have made an effort to lower the dependence on fossil energy and to develop the new regeneration energy for low-carbon green growth. Also, in Korea, a substantial extent of efforts has been made to develop biodiesel and bioethanol with the use
of microalgae and macroalgae. In the development of new regeneration energy, it is essential to secure a marine biomass. Because the technological level at which the seaweeds are raise in Korea is quite high, so the development of new regeneration energy will be achieved with a very high possibility. The total annual production of seaweeds from the natural beds and cultivated areas of Korea was estimated to be 934,890 tons (wet wt.) in 2008. Of this, 921,024 tons were produced by cultivation, constituting 98% of total seaweed production. The economically
important genera are: Porphyra, Undaria, Hizikia, Laminaria, Sargassum, Enteromorpha and Codium all of which are used for food, and Gelidium, Pachymeniopsis and Ecklonia which are used as raw material for phycocolloid extraction. More than 30 species of seaweeds have
traditionally been used by Koreans (Sohn, 1988).