Carrageenan carrageenan were estimated at $640 million. The largest producer of industrial carrageenan was the Philippines, where cultivated seaweed produces about 80% of the world supply, while China is the main exporter to global markets in the US and Europe. The most commonly used sources are "E. cottonii" ("Kappaphycus alvarezii", "K. striatum") and "E. spinosum" ("Eucheuma denticulatum"), which together provide about three-quarters of the world production. These grow from the sea surface to a depth of about 2 metres. The seaweed is normally grown on nylon lines strung between bamboo floats, and it is harvested after three months or so, when
Tyrian purple this ability has sometimes also been historically exploited by local inhabitants in the areas where these snails occur (Some other predatory gastropods, such as some wentletraps in the family Epitoniidae, seem to also produce a similar substance, although this has not been studied or exploited commercially). The dog whelk" Nucella lapillus", from the North Atlantic, can also be used to produce red-purple and violet dyes. The Phoenicians also made an indigo dye, sometimes referred to as "royal blue" or "hyacinth purple", which was made from a closely related species of marine snail. The Phoenicians established an ancillary production facility on