Seven case studies are presented on commercial seaweed resources; five on wild crops, respectively Ascophyllum nodosum, Chondrus crispus, Gelidium, Laminaria longicruris and Macrocystis, are provided along with case studies of the farmed crops of Eucheuma and Laminaria japonica . Individually the cases range from descriptions of the wild crops and their management to the managed production of farmed crops including, in several examples, some information on economics and/or processing. These initial seven cases range from those emphasizing but one species from but one part of one country, to studies of a genus as it occurs commercially throughout the world.