Seaweed farming, a sudden slimy success, needs greener rules: UN

Oslo

SEAWEED farming needs tighter regulation to limit damage to the environment after booming into a US$6.4 billion business with uses in everything from sushi to toothpaste, a United Nations study showed on Sunday.

Led by China, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines, seaweed's surge in recent years has seemed environmentally friendly since it needs no fertilisers and has created both jobs and food in remote coastal areas of developing nations.