In Scotland seagrasses grow in sheltered waters such as inlets, bays, estuaries and saltwater lagoons; in more exposed areas beds tend to be smaller and patchier (Davison & Hughes, 1998). Below the low water mark, increasing depth results in a very rapid decrease in light intensity so that sublittoral (subtidal) species are restricted to a depth range near the surface, known as the photic zone, where light is sufficient for growth. Hand and mechanical using modified boat with cutter. This makes all UK beaches - rocky, shingly or sandy - a good place to forage for them. 3.4.2. Examples of seaweed species in Scotland are provided in Figure 1. With a little increase in wave action, other possible communities can be present in a mosaic with the wracks so that continuous dense wracks cover does not occur. Harvesting is done by hand cutting or raking, usually in late summer. Few or no concerns, but some local concerns, Few or no concerns, but many local concerns, Lack of evidence / robust assessment criteria. This is shown in Table 7 and Figure 9. The only strandline habitat that has been recorded is in outer Tay Estuary and north coast of Orkney. Biogeographic, Charting Progress 2 (CP2) Regions. Most seaweeds have special applications in the kitchen and you cant simply boil them up. 3.10.2. when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife magazine. The kelps are among the largest algae; certain species of Macrocystis and Nereocystis of the Pacific and Antarctic regions exceed 33 metres (100 feet) in length. Working in the countryside: seaweed farmer | Countryfile.com Approximately 501 species of seaweed occur in Ireland: 272 reds, 147 browns and 80 greens. Although the lease issued by The Crown Estate delineates the boundaries where harvesting is to take place, it does not grant exclusivity to the seaweed resource in these areas. In Scotland, hand cutting has been the most common method of harvesting in the wild (Burrows et al., 2010; Scottish Executive, 2001). When the tide comes back in the seaweed floats to form a large circular bale which is then towed by small boat to a sheltered area for loading onto a lorry. living and/or beach-cast). The trial also includes growing sea urchins on some of the seaweed. There is also some commercial use of seaweeds - mainly egg wrack ( Ascophyllum nodosum) - as organic fertilisers. It is our assessment that a "one size fits all" approach is not appropriate in regulating the removal of seaweed and so an appropriate and proportionate approach to licensing, dependent upon the circumstances and scale of the proposed removals, will be applied. The largest seagrass beds are found in Cromarty Firth, Moray Firth and Dornoch Firth (Figure 3). 3.11.1. Gutweed Chlorophyta ( Ulva intestinalis) A seaweed of the upper shore, gutweed is able to tolerate very low salinities. Edible; used as a thickening agent. No gardener can match the perfection of beauty found in a rock pool. 3.13.1. It also associates all pressures that might be exerted by a defined list of activities at a particular benchmark. 3.2.3. The main species harvested in biomass terms is egg or knotted wrack. and Alaria esculenta of solid bedrock shores do not occur here. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission. A range of shellfish has been used in the Scottish Salmon Company trial including: mussels, oysters and queen scallops, each of which has established markets, as well as sea urchins which are less established. Ulva lactuca often does not grow in large patches, so harvesting can be a labour intensive effort which only yields small amounts. * marine licences have been issued to remove kelp from around power station water intakes. We have been doing this for five years now and we are demonstrating that this is viable..