Ascophyllum nodosum Le Jolis Harvesting Impacts and Management Options Using GPS Tracking of Mechanical Harvesters in Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

Area based management of Ascophyllum nodosum Le Joli in the Canadian Maritimes has advanced over the past 60 years from open buying stations in Bays to quota-based area management under coastal leases. In 1989 the resource was divided into geographical sectors containing .9 to 17.6 ha containing 92 t to 2105 t of harvestable biomass. Sectors are the units of management plans under guidelines of the provincial government. GPS tracking mechanical harvesting to Nova Scotia began in 2017 using a new mechanical harvester in a pilot harvest. GPS tracking allowed the calculation of yield with the time, distance, and cutting swath. Harvests were conducted within target bed polygons of 200 m− 2 to 1280 m− 2. Production per hour averaged 1135 ± 169 kg h− 1 yielding 5.96 ± 1.01 kg m− 2 of swept track. The average exploitation rate within targeted polygons was 33.1 ± 14.5%. This level of geographic resolution of the harvest permits significant improvements in management practices, control of management plans, pre and post assessments of the resource. It is a method of addressing landscape scale questions relating to harvesting impacts.