Abstract
The ecological impact of marine plant harvesting is related to the intensity of exploitation, the harvesting technique, and the vulnerability of the species or habitat to perturbation. In eastern Canada information was available on four levels of impact: long-term changes in the target species and direct loss or damage to non-target species, direct or indirect impact on the habitat or community, indirect effects of changes in habitat or community structure, and trophic level impact. Near monoculture stands of Chondrus crispus have associated with them up to 36 animals species and 19 major species of algae that are vulnerable to removal as by-catch. Indirect effects of changes in macrophyte cover were not observed in fish species utilization of Ascophyllum nodosum beds on rising tides. Subtidal areas devoid of all macrophyte cover had lower levels of the preferred foods for Homarus americanus than kelp-covered areas; however, barren grounds are not created by macrophyte exploitation rates of 20% to 80% in eastern Canada. Long-term harvesting has altered the population structure and population ecology of C. crispus and A. nodosum in some areas. In general both target species and associated communities are resistant to perturbation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Black, R. & R. J. Miller, 1986. Ascophyllum harvesting and use of intertidal by finfish. C. A. F. S. A. C. Research Document 86/84, 10 pp.
Boaden, P. J. S. & M. T. Dring, 1980. A quantitative evaluation of the effects of Ascophyllum harvesting on the littoral ecosystem. Helgolander wiss. Meeresunters. 33: 700–710.
Chapman, A. R. O., 1987. The wild harvest and culture of Laminaria longicruris de la Pylaie in Eastern Canada. F. A. O. Fish. Tech. Paper 281: 193–237.
Chock, J. S. & A. C. Mathieson, 1983. Variations of New England estuarine seaweed biomass. Bot. Mar. 26: 87–97.
Chopin, T., J. D. Pringle & R. E. Semple, 1988. Reproductive capacity of dragraked and non-dragraked Irish moss (Chondrus crispus Stackhouse) beds in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 45: 758–766.
Ennis, G. P., 1986. Stock definition, recruitment variability and larval recruitment processes in the American lobster, Homarus americanus: a review. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 43: 2072–2084.
Foster, M. S. & D. C. Barilotti, 1990. An approach to determining the ecological effects of seaweed harvesting: a summary. Hydrobiologia 204/205 (Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. 13): 15–16.
Gendron, L., 1989. Seasonal growth of the kelp Laminaria longicruris in the Baie des Chaleurs, Quebec, in relation to nutrient and light availability. Bot. mar. 32: 345–354.
Mann, K. H. 1982. Ecology of coastal waters: a systems approach. Studies in Ecology, Volume 8, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, Great Britain, 322 pp.
Mathieson, A. C., J. W. Shipman, J. R. O'Shea & R. C. Hasevalt, 1976. Seasonal growth and reproduction of estuarine fucoid algae in New England, J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 25: 273–284.
McLachlan, J., 1982. The seaweed industry: an appraisal of resource management and cultivation, especially as related to the extractive industry. Mongrafias biologicas 2: 151–168.
Michaud, B. J., 1986. Composition and production of macrobenthic invertebrate communities and food resources of the American lobster Homarus americanus along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Ph. D. thesis. Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 322 pp.
Miller, R. J., 1985. Succession in sea urchin and seaweed abundance in Nova Scotia, Canada. Mar. Biol. 84: 275–286.
Miller R. J., K. H. Mann & D. J. Scarra, 1971. The production potential of a seaweed-lobster community in eastern Canada. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 28: 1733–1738.
Paine, R. T., 1984. Ecological determinism in the competition for space. Ecology 65: 1339–1348.
Pringle, J. D. & A. C. Mathieson, 1987. Chondrus crispus Stackhouse. F. A. O. Fish. Tech. Paper 281: 50–118.
Pringle, J. D. & R. E. Semple, 1983. A description of the major commercial Irish moss (Chondrus crispus Stackh.) beds in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Proc. Int. Seaweed Symp. 11: 342–345.
Pringle, J. D. & R. E. Semple, 1988. Impact of harvesting on Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) frond size-class structure. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 45: 767–773.
Pringle, J. D. & G. J. Sharp, 1980. Multispecies resource management of economically important marine plant communities of eastern Canada. Helgolander wiss. Meeresunters. 33: 711–720.
Pringle, J. D. & G. J. Sharp, 1986. Rationale for the path chosen in bringing assessment science to the eastern Canadian Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) fishery. In R. Westermeier (ed.), Actas II Congr. Algas Mar. Chilenas Universidad Austral de Chile: 75–90.
Rigler, F. H., 1982. Recognition of the possible: an advantage of empiricism in ecology. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 39: 132–137.
Sharp, G. J., 1987. Ascophyllum nodosum and its harvesting in eastern Canada. F. A. O. Fish. tech. Paper 281: 3–46.
Sharp, G. J. & J. A. Carter, 1986. Biomass and population structure of kelp (Laminaria spp.) in southwestern Nova Scotia. Can. Man. Rep. Fish. aquat. Sci. 1907: 19 pp.
Sharp, G. J. & D. Tremblay, 1989. An assessment of Ascophyllum nodosum resources in Scotia-Fundy. C.A.F.S.A.C. Res. Doc. 89/1: 19 pp.
Smith, B. D., 1985. Recovery following experimental harvesting of Laminaria longicruris and L. digitata in southwestern Nova Scotia. Helgolander wiss. Meeresunters. 39: 83–101.
Smith, B. D., 1986. Implications of population dynamics and interspecific competition of the harvest management of the seaweed Laminaria. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 33: 7–18.
Strömgren, T., 1983. Temperature-length growth strategies in the littoral alga Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Limnol. Oceanogr. 28: 516–521.
Vadas, R. L. & W. A. Wright, 1986. Recruitment, growth and management of Ascophyllum nodosum. In R. Westermeier (ed.), Actas II Congr. Algas Mar. Chilenas. Universidad Austral de Chile: 101–113.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sharp, G.J., Pringle, J.D. Ecological impact of marine plant harvesting in the northwest Atlantic: a review. Hydrobiologia 204, 17–24 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00040210
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00040210