Under the auspices of the International Seaweed Association and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this meeting was organized a t the Institute of Oceanology of the Academia Sinica in 1953.
It started with a report by ZENG CHENGHUI (C. K. TSENG) on physiological research in the development of the Chinese seaweed industry (Laminaria, Porphyru, and Surgassum). Other plenary lectures concerned polyelectrolytes from seaweeds (0. SMIDSRBD & , H. GR~SDALEN, Norway) and seaweeds with pharmaceutical applications (J. T. BAKER, Australia). The proceedings volume includes 123 papers on taxonomy and cultivation of Graciluria; utilization of seaweeds and microalgae and their products; algae in medicine and pharmacology; the biology of Amtabularia; the morphology, taxonomy, and life histories of Rhodophyta and other taxa; techniques of cultivation ; resources and management; ecology of Surgassum, Macrocystis, Lrlva, and Cryptonemia; fouling organisms and pathology; physiological aspects; chemical composition; and structure and properties. There are indices for chemical components and taxonomy. Besides of numerous Chinese contributions, many papers were presented by Japanese, Australian, American, Cnnadian, and Scandinavian phycologists, and scientists from many other countries were also present. Thus, all current aspects of seaweed ecology and use are included in this proceedingsvolume. Another major value may be the information on recent Chinese research and practices.