Southern Ocean seaweeds: A resource for exploration in food and drugs

Benthic macroalga or seaweed, a wonder plant in the sea, has been attracting the human mind since centuries. Countries of south and south East Asia have put in extensive use of this plant for various purposes such as food, feed, fodder, etc. Development of seaweed in these countries was favored by their ready availability and proximities to centers of human population that were particularly concentrated in coastal areas. In the beginning, those seaweed species that could be used for food were the first to be utilized and later the other species were found to yield industrial, medicinal, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.A number of constraints will be required to be adapted if world's seaweed industry is to be developed and stabilized. This is mainly because of uncertainty in supply of raw material and sudden burst in demand that occur in cycles. The seaweed resources have undergone successive periods of over exploitation and neglect. Alternatively, new areas shall have to be explored which could supply rich and high quality seaweeds. The Southern Ocean has immense potential for attracting urgent attention for development and exploitation of seaweed resources.A number of investigations are underway to assess the uses of Antarctic seaweeds. Recently, an active ingredient from Antarctic seaweed has been identified, which blocks the effects of metalloproteinase, an enzyme that accelerates the skin aging process. A skin care products derived from polar seaweeds has been a latest craze in France and are dedicated to men between 25 and 50 years of age. Antarctic red algae have recently been identified for their chemodiversity, containing compounds possessing antibacterial and other inhibitive properties to marine animals. The important fact remains that before we go for actual harvesting it is necessary that we have full details of their ecophysiology and annual cycle of occurrence at particular region and devise a legal framework after extensive debate with experts, for sustainable use of this valuable resource.