Seaweeed Harvesters Fall Through Cracks of the MLPA-Marine Life Protection Act

The trouble I see with the MLPA is that it should move towards organic and sustainable harvesting. Commercial anything in the U.S.A. has meant exploitation of wildlife and domestic plants and animals. It is not good enough to use the methods of commercialization if it is going to polluted and put profits ahead of sustainablity.

I notice how the language moves from "self described environmentalist" to a "scientist" and then there is talk of "potentially help and restore fisheries and marine life that have been exploited" and lastly "there are other places to harvest Sea Palm."

Where does one begin:
1) Who's a self described environmentalist?

a) Someone who is an original founder of the Ocean Protection Coalition to STOP offshore oil and an official Day in Santa Cruz gives recognition to another in close heart space

b) Someone whom the whole North Coast might well say is in amongst leading environmental spokespeople and activists

c) Someone whose writings elicit political and local community response

d) all the above

2) The the harvest of Edible seaweed and the harvest of Sea Palm are not synonymous. 9 to 11 species of Edible Algae are harvested. Below the scientific statement is the actual poundage according to DFG, and Ecotrust via data supplied through the MLPAi.

“and it's jumped up now to about 35,000 lbs per year.
a fourfold quadrupling of harvest and half that amount is Sea Palm”....

Actually, less than 25,000 pounds is harvested yearly on the Mendocino Coast. 38,000 pounds is the amount of harvest in all 3 counties on the North Coast. And by species, Sea Palm is only one third of the total in Mendocino.

Table 5.4-2: Edible algae harvest (average pounds) by species, 2002 to 2008

Species Common Name Average Pounds Harvested
Alaria marginata wakame 3,865
Fucus spp. bladderwrack 981
Gigartina spp. grapestone 328
Laminaria spp. kombu 4,745
Nereocystis luetkeana bullwhip kelp 959
Palmaria mollis pacific dulse 141
Porphyra spp. nori 2,749
Postelsia palmaeformis sea palm 8,339
Ulva spp. sea lettuce 11


And then science would ask; taken on the same measurement as the weight of fish and the total weight of “biomass” as allowed quota - that could be extended to seaweed and then one must ask, what is the total weight by species and the total weight of all species minus the amount harvested, for accuracy in comparison.

The subject is as deep as the ocean.

Oh and “save some areas of the coast in it's natural state”... is so far from the real truth of the matter.
There are tradeoffs as to the definition of “natural state” and “desired state” but one has to be deeply involved in the process and the science to grasp that.

Tomas DiFiore