Centre Would Establish Seaweed Park With Special Economic Zone Status In Tamil Nadu.

Why in news?

• As per Minister of State for Fishing, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, for the first time in country, a seaweed park will be set up in Tamil Nadu to improve the livelihood of fishermen.
• It will be implemented under the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Yojana.
• Seaweeds, the primitive, marine non-flowering marine algae without root, stem and leaves, plays a major role in marine ecosystems.
• Range in colours from red, green, brown and black and also vary in size, from microscopic to large underwater forests.
• Large seaweeds form dense underwater forests known as kelp forests, which act as underwater nurseries for fish, snails and sea urchins.
• Found mostly in intertidal region (Southern Gulf of Mannar), shallow and deep waters of the sea and estuaries and backwaters.

Significance of seaweeds

• Storehouse of nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin A, B, C & K etc.
• Act as a bio-indicator and balance out the ecosystem.
• Mitigating climate change.
• Used as fertilizers and to increase fish production.
• Can be buried in beach dunes to combat beach erosion.
• Used as an ingredient in preparing toothpaste, cosmetics and paints.
• Govt also runs a Seaweed Mission, launched by Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), for commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing.