Caledonian Seaweed: We’re Not Telling You Salads!

Did you know that algae is ubiquitous in our daily lives, sometimes without us even realizing it?
In New Caledonia, IRD has been collecting, studying and listing the extraordinary diversity of mosses for more than 60 years, with a collection of over 30,000 mosses papers. Discovery of these algae began in the 19th century and some specimens are kept in the most famous museums in the world. For sea users, they don’t always have a good reputation, especially when they start to multiply or cling to fishing nets! However, elsewhere in the world, some algae are used in many ways on an industrial scale. Today, for example, they occupy an essential place in the blue economy and account for more than 30% of the world’s aquaculture production!

What if science made it possible to boost this Caledonian algae?

With their story, Claude Bairy and Lidien Mathieu, physiologists with passion and conviction, will take you from the lake to your plates. Trace the history of seaweed in New Caledonia and find out how these two scientists are studying its potential uses.