Hand Harvesting
Our hand harvesters work out of Novi-style skiffs and use a specially designed rake that ensures the holdfast (where the seaweed is attached to the rock) remains intact. The rakes are designed to cut at least 16” above the holdfast of the Rockweed as required by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) regulations. Our harvesters work on the incoming and outgoing tide, about two hours on either side of high tide.
Mechanical Harvesting
Our mechanical harvesters are essentially mechanized harvesters and have been in use for well over 20 years in this State. While they look somewhat industrial, they harvest cleanly and leave no trace. We use bio-based hydraulic oil for these harvesters so if they happen to leak, what escapes to the water is biodegradable.
All our harvesters take great care to protect the holdfast when they are harvesting because they know it will ensure the Rockweed will grow back. Based on the amount of seaweed that lives in each bed, our scientists calculate a harvesting rate that is less than the annual regrowth. This way the harvesters never trim the standing stock. All seaweed loads are monitored to strict quality assurance standards to ensure there are no holdfasts or other debris in the landed Rockweed.