A 20-year update on the state of seaweed resources in Italy

This article presents an update of the situation regarding the seaweed resources of Italy 20 years after the first assessment. A search for companies working with seaweed in Italy was conducted. In addition, the literature published over the last 20 years on seaweed biodiversity, alien species, harvests, industrial processing and biomass use was carefully examined and the results are discussed. There are a great many floristic studies, tackling both indigenous and non-indigenous species, although some geographical areas are less studied than others. The num- ber of studies of the use of biomass has increased in the last decade. However, it is apparent that despite the con- siderable know-how concerning seaweed species, their properties and potential applications, Italy is still behind in seaweed exploitation compared to other countries.