In this study, we analyze the economic feasibility of commercial cultivation of the red seaweed Agarophyton chilensis in northern Chile. This macroalga grows naturally on the Chilean coast and has been cultivated for several years. However, to achieve a sustainable exploitation over time, it is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the commercial cultivation of this seaweed. In order to carry this out, we study a system of bottom cultivation in 6.4 ha of sea in the Coquimbo Region, north of Chile. Our results suggest that cultivation is cost effective under the conditions used for the majority of commercial cultures of this type in Chile. We found that the culture provides a positive net present value, but only in the long term, specifically if the cultivation continues operating for at least 8 years. Finally, results show that saving money in all steps of the production process is important to improve the profitability of this culture.

在这项研究中，我们分析了红藻Agarophyton chilensis的商业化种植的经济可行性。在智利北部。这种大型藻类自然生长在智利海岸上，并且已经栽培了数年。然而，为了随着时间的推移实现可持续的开采，有必要提高这种海藻的商业化种植效率。为了实现这一目标，我们在智利北部的科金博地区研究了在6.4公顷海域进行的底栖养殖系统。我们的结果表明，在智利大多数此类商业文化所用的条件下，种植具有成本效益。我们发现，该培养物可提供正的净现值，但仅在长期内，特别是如果培养持续至少8年的话。最后，结果表明，在生产过程的所有步骤中节省资金对于提高这种文化的盈利能力很重要。