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Cited by 253Marine and coastal plant biologySeaweed-derived Bioactive CompoundsCoastal and Marine Management

Sustainable harvesting of wild seaweed resources.

Open access
Mac Monagail, Michéal, Cornish, Lynn, Morrison, Liam, Araújo, Rita, Critchley, Alan T.·2017·European Journal of Phycology
DOI 10.1080/09670262.2017.1365273
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Abstract

Macroalgae have played an important role in coastal communities for centuries. In the past, they have been harvested and gathered from shorelines around the world for traditional uses such as food, animal feed and a crude fertilizer (marine manure). Today, seaweeds are used in a multitude of applications with expanding global industries based on hydrocolloids, cosmetics and food supplements, and also as a potential biofuel source. However, of the approximately 10 000 algal species reported to exist, only a small number are commercially utilized. While representing only a small fraction of total global seaweed production, harvesting and gathering ‘wild’ seaweeds has had, and continues to have, an integral role in many coastal societies, often being intrinsically linked to the cultural identity of those coastal communities. Today, 32 countries actively harvest seaweeds from wild stocks, with over 800 000 t harvested annually from natural beds. It is vitally important that seaweeds are utilized sustainably and that natural resources are effectively managed by coastal communities with vested interests around the world. As the popularity of seaweeds increases and the use of less traditional species with novel applications comes to the fore, it is critically important to make certain that the sustainability of the resource is ensured given the increased pressures of harvesting. Issues exist regarding ownership of the resource and its over-exploitation, and the implementation of environmentally damaging harvesting techniques must be avoided. Resource scientists, managers, conservationists, governments, and other stakeholders need to be proactive in the sustainable management of these vulnerable, yet valuable, resources.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/09670262.2017.1365273

Cites

156 of 157 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims other papers make about this one

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  • A lack of accurate figures on seaweed resource production is one of the main constraints to the development of the seaweed harvesting and farming industry in Europe.

    “A lack of accurate figures on the seaweed resource production has been identified as one of the main constraints to the development of the seaweed harvesting and farming industry in Europe (Mac Monagail et al., 2017)”

    From Current Status of the Algae Production Industry in Europe: An Emerging Sector of the Blue Bioeconomy (2021) · cites this paper as Mac Monagail et al., 2017

    The “Constraints to the wild harvesting industry” section identifies a lack of accurate data on standing stocks as one of three main constraints on commercial wild harvesting. It does not make the same claim about production figures or establish that this is a constraint on seaweed farming in Europe. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Some species like L. digitata, C. crispus, and P. palmata have a historical record of consumption as food.

    “Some species like L. digitata , C. crispus , and P. palmata have an historical record of consumption as food (García Tasende and Rodríguez González, 2003; Mouritsen et al., 2013; Mac Monagail et al., 2017).”

    From Current Status of the Algae Production Industry in Europe: An Emerging Sector of the Blue Bioeconomy (2021) · cites this paper as Mac Monagail et al., 2017

    The Historical utilization of wild seaweeds section (page unavailable) records Palmaria palmata being gathered for food in Iceland for at least 1,000 years. Our copy does not establish a historical record of food consumption for Laminaria digitata or Chondrus crispus; its references to those species do not make that point. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The main volumes in Norway are harvested with seaweed trawlers and mechanical cutting, an activity that started in the 1960s and targets L. hyperborea and A. nodosum.

    “The main volumes are harvested with the use of seaweed trawlers and mechanical cutting, an activity that started already in the 1960s and targets two main species: L. hyperborea and A. nodosum (Vea and Ask, 2011; Mac Monagail et al., 2017).”

    From Current Status of the Algae Production Industry in Europe: An Emerging Sector of the Blue Bioeconomy (2021) · cites this paper as Mac Monagail et al., 2017

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 158 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Becker, H. (2001). Seaweed Memories: In the Jaws of the Sea. Wolfhound Press, Dublin.
  2. Bruton, T., Lyons, H., Lerat, Y., Stanley, M. & Rasmussen, M. B. (2009). A review of the potential of marine algae as a source of biofuel in Ireland. Sustainable Energy Ireland Dublin, 88.
  3. Buschmann, A.H., Camus, C., Infante, J., Neori, A., Israel, Á., Hernández-González, M. C., Pereda, S. V., Gomez- Pinchetti, J. L., Golberg, A.,Tadmor-Shalev, N. & Critchley, A. T. (in press). Seaweed production: overview of the global state of exploitation, farming and emerging research activity. European Journal of Phycology.
  4. Hallsson, S.V. (1961). The uses of seaweeds in Iceland. Fourth International Seaweed Symposium 1961, France. Pergamon Press, Oxford.
  5. Msuya, F. & Hurtado, A. (in press). The role of women in seaweed aquaculture in West Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. European Journal of Phycology.
  6. Skeffington, M.S., Scott, N.E. & Gosling, P. (2013). Numbered seaweed mearing stones on Island Eddy and the adjoining mainland at Carrowmore townland, Ballinacourty, Galway Bay. Journal of Irish Archaeology, 22: 93-109.

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Authors
Mac Monagail, M., Cornish, L., Morrison, L., Araújo, R., & Critchley, A. T.
Affiliations
  • Earth and Ocean Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
  • J. S. Craigie Research Centre, Cornwallis, N.S., Canada
  • Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway (IE)
  • European Commission (BE)
  • Private Phycologist, 10288, Hwy 1, Evangeline Trail, Paradise, Nova Scotia, Canada
ORCID
Venue
European Journal of Phycology
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2017-10-02
Volume
52
Issue
4
Pages
371-390
ISSN
  • 0967-0262 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-4433
DOI
10.1080/09670262.2017.1365273
OpenAlex
W2763355149
Cited by
253
References
158
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 9
FWCI
9.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • European Journal of Phycology (publishedVersion)
  • ARAN (University of Galway Research Repository) (Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • ARAN (University of Galway Research Repository) (Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Joint Research Centre (European Commission) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Galway Research Repository (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin) (cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal plant biology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Coastal and Marine Management
Keywords
seaweed, sustainable resource management, coastal communities, overexploitation, resource ownership, harvesting methods, marine conservation, seaweed biofuels, seaweed industry

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