Different cultivation methods can be found in the areas where this activity takes place. Basically, there are three planting methods for Gracilaria ; on the bottom, attached to nets or lines or on floating structures. Specimens for cultivation can be obtained by collecting seedlings or through spore germination. Cultivation is always implemented at points of low tide activity, such as bays, tide pools, lagoons, estuaries and artificial tanks. To implement cultivation on a commercial scale several studiesare needed to establish aneasy-to-manage cultivation method with a satisfactory coste
benefit relation-ship, as well as knowledge of the ecology, physiology and productivity of species of economic interest. Such knowledge enables the implementation of productive farms, generating alternative sources of income for tropical coastal populations, who generally depend exclusively on artesanal fishing as their means of subsistence. Due to the importance of the genus Gracilaria for the agar industry, a study about the biomass, growth, yield and quality of agar from the species Gracilaria birdiae was conducted to assess the possibility of commercial scale cultivation in the northeast of Brazil