Students from Japan research edible seaweed in St Lucia

A group of Japanese student volunteers are heading to St Lucia to share and expand their knowledge in the fields of fisheries.

This year is the third time Japan has sent their scholars to St Lucia as part of the Fisheries University Student Volunteer Project, a collaboration between a number of universities and the St Lucia National Trust.

The volunteers are graduates and undergraduates of subjects in fisheries, marine biology and environmental studies at the Hokkaido University, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and the Kagoshima University.

Each group of students only spends a short spell in St Lucia at a time but each complete specific complete the projects. In cases of research intensive courses they continue where the previous group stopped.

July saw student volunteers assist in the goal of utilising seaweed and seaweed products more effectively, to gather and test samples of mineral-rich seaweed salt and to establish manufacturing methods for the above.

They will also investigate coastal organisms and those that dwell amongst the seaweed for research purposes.

Their findings and work will be used to enrich the National Trust’s exhibition at the Mankote Mangrove.

The August group will target the north of the island, specifically to promote a fish-rich diet by volunteering cooking workshops and by promoting the idea at Gros Islet Friday Night.

They will also help the environment with clean-up activities in Gros Islet and workshops that will address the problem of garbage.

The previous volunteers conducted studies on species of seaweed around Sandy Beach and investigated uses of seaweed in nutrition as well as how to use little-used but still edible fish species in different ways.