Seaweeds represent a large, renewable, but currently under-utilized resource. With the increasing demand for new foods, medicinal agents and other products of potential economic value, seaweeds have attracted considerable interest as a source of these requirements. To co-ordinate much of the endeavour in Europe, the European Communities' COST 48 Action Programme was initiated, bringing together scientists working on different aspects of seaweed utilization, and it was within this framework that "Seaweed Resources in Europe" had its origins. Within this book, in view of their industrial importance, the seaweed polysaccharides are given prominent coverage, including their applications in biotechnology and their uses as foods and in pharmaceutical preparations. Other topics discussed include the utilization of seaweeds and seaweed-derived products in cosmetics, animal and human nutrition and agriculture. Both the harvesting of wild stocks and the cultivation of seaweeds are extensively covered, as is the potential use of seaweeds for bioconversion and the treatment of waste water.