Seaweed farming has developed in Rote-Ndao Regency since 1999, and in Hundihuk Village seaweed farming is currently a mainstay commodity for coastal communities. The main problem faced in seaweed farming there is the phenomenon of the ice-ice disease that attacks seaweed, especially before the change of seasons. The existence of the disease has an impact on a decrease in production which results in a decrease in the income of farmers. The existence of the ice-ice disease, it is suspected that bio-ecologically and biophysically conditions of the waters that are farmed are experiencing disturbances due to pollutants and/or decreased water quality, farming methods that are not suitable due to the dependence of the community on monoculture farming, However, the disease can also be caused by the use of low quality seeds. Therefore, a solution is needed to overcome the problem of ice-ice disease. One of them is the ice-ice disease control model through the application of appropriate and effective farming techniques or methods, so as to increase the productivity of the seaweed farming business, the method in question is farming with a polyculture system and the introduction of resistant cultivars. Farming with a polyculture system that utilizes other macroalgae/seaweeds as companion plants is very effective in controlling the ice-ice disease. The total intensity of infection of the ice-ice disease every week is very small, ranging from 0.2 - 2.5 for the polyculture system compared to the monoculture system with a large range of 0.1-17.1%.

Rote Ndao is one of the regencies in East Nusa Tenggara Province that is designated as the Center for Integrated Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. This area is expected to encourage economic growth in the periphery with the main driving locomotive being the fisheries sector. Seaweed cultivation has developed in Rote-Ndao District since a decade ago. The coastal area used for seaweed cultivation in this district in 2018 reached 1,718 ha (57.21%) of the potential area of 3,003 ha. Seaweed cultivation activities carried out in this regency are generally still limited to water areas that are considered safe to try and provide benefits that are considered quite good, even though the cultivation is technically inadequate or does not meet the technical requirements of seaweed cultivation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the suitability of the area of seaweed cultivation in Hundihuk Village. The data collection method used in this study is the survey method. Analysis of space availability is based on the suitability of the waters that support seaweed cultivation. The results showed that the analysis of the suitability of the waters of the village of Hundihuk was included in the category of very appropriate with the value of 267.5, this meant that the development of seaweed was still possible by taking into account the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.