Ecological impact of marine plant harvesting in the northwest Atlantic: a review

✍ Scribed by G. J. Sharp; J. D. Pringle

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 675 KB
• Volume: 204-205
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00040210

✦ Synopsis

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 .