The Rockweed Working Group was established by the DMR to evaluate the necessity of regulating commercial harvesting. “The group’s purpose is to determine the impact of commercial rockweed harvest, if any, on sensitive wildlife, and recommend areas that are closed to commercial harvest based on their analysis.”
At this time the DMR categorizes rockweed as a marine fishery which allows harvesting in the inter-tidal zone, placing shore birds, fishes, mollusks and crustaceans in danger as their habitat disappears.
Friends of Blue Hill Bay would like to see a moratorium on the shores of Blue Hill Bay until our concerns are resolved:
Who owns rockweed? How does rockweed removal affect shore birds? marine mammals? marine crustaceans? What are the implications of rockweed removal vis-à-vis ocean acidification?
Friends of Blue Hill Bay is not against sustainable harvesting of rockweed. We only want to have these questions answered and to have a responsible policy in place before our shores are open to harvesters.