Marshalling his troops - Pitchcare

Above: Scoubidou boats harvesting
Laminaria digitata off the coast of Brittany
Right: Kelp is a generic name for large
brown algae of the order Laminariales.
Under the right temperatures and light
conditions (in Ireland in spring and autumn),
the kelp blades form darl patches on the
surface which produce zoospores. These
spores attach to the substrate and grow
into tiny filamentous male and female
plants, the gametophytes. The female
gametophyte produces eggs, which are
fertilised by the spermatozoids produced by
the male gametophytes. The fertilised egg
develops to form young kelp plants
what effects harvesting will have on other
components of the kelp communities.
It is, therefore, quite clear that we must
adopt a policy of sustainable harvesting
for our seaweed resources or they will
become as decimated as some of our
other marine resources.
To this end, a wide range of techniques
have been developed worldwide to
cultivate seaweed, depending on the
species being farmed, the life cycle and
biogeographical factors.
In general, fragments of adult plants,
132
juvenile plants, sporelings or spores are
seeded onto either ropes or other
substrata in nurseries and the plants are
on-grown to maturity at sea. Because of
the complex lifecycles of many seaweeds,
a detailed knowledge of both the biology
and life history of the plants is critical,
particularly at the nursery/hatchery
stages.
It is from initiatives such as this, that
we source our raw materials for our
diverse range of Sea-Chem products, as
this is totally in keeping with our
company ethos of environmental
sustainability.
In our third and final article we shall
look at the amazing range of applications
for which seaweed is used and, in
particular, the great benefits that it can
give to the remediation of hydrocarbon
contaminated land and amenity land
care.
For further information on this fascinating
subject contact Steve Nicholls,
Sea-Chem Ltd. on 01746 710799
or email steve.nicholls@sea-chem.co.uk
Website: www.sea-chem.co.uk
Example of an Irish kelp farming trial with seeded ropes wrapped around a long line
“It is quite clear that we must adopt a policy of
sustainable harvesting for our seaweed
resources or they will become as decimated as
some of our other marine resources”