Assessment of the potential of the fucoid seaweed, <i>Hormosira banksii</i> , as a source of fucoidan and coculture on a Pacific oyster farm in New Zealand

ABSTRACT This study investigated the potential for developing a new seaweed species for aquaculture by assessing its fucoidan yield and coculturing in an intertidal hanging basket culture system with Pacific oysters. Hormosira banksii , or Neptune's necklace, is a common intertidal seaweed found throughout temperate Australia and New Zealand, which is highly tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions, is easily bred and grows vegetatively, making it a good species for potential aquaculture development for the region. Analyses of fucoidan yield of samples from six sites in northern NZ found it was comparable to commercial yield from other fucoid species (i.e. 2.1%–7.7% of dry biomass), with fucoidan yield varying with seaweed source location. The hanging intertidal oyster baskets were not suitable for the culture of this seaweed (assessed at 200 and 149 days after outplanting). However, the seaweed showed variable resilience linked to source location. There is potential to advance H. banksii aquaculture in light of favourable fucoidan yield, provided a suitable culture method can be developed.