Production and profitability are normally the main factors taken into
account before making an economic investment. Simple calculations
based on this work and on the current commercial value of G. chilensis
biomass (Buschmann et al., 2008b) point to an expected income of
nearly 6 times more the initial investment necessary for a 100 ha
G. chilensis seaweed farm. The maintenance of an environmental
balance, although still not legislated andwith nomoney costs, is already
being used as a marketing approach by several companies and is
currently under public debate