Seaweed Harvesting In Tasmania

The direct harvesting of native seaweeds in Tasmania has largely been confined to the commercial harvest of Giant Kelp beds for alginate production in the 1960s and 70s. While there was considerable investment in this industry, the industry eventually proved unsustainable due to low levels of production and low market prices.

There is currently no direct harvesting of native seaweeds in Tasmania due to their ecological importance to marine ecosystems and fisheries resources. Harvesting of seaweed in Tasmania is presently confined to 3 activities:

1. The collection of beach cast Bull Kelp (Durvilleae potatorum) on King Island and the northern west coast;
2. Harvesting of the introduced Japanese Sea Kelp (Undaria pinnatifida) on the east coast;
3. And the localised collection of beach cast seaweeds and seagrasses.

Bull Kelp harvesting is a major industry in Tasmania supplying about 5% of the world production of alginates and generating about $2 million dollars of income for King Island. In contrast, small-scale licensed operations collect cast weed from several locations around Tasmania where large volumes of seaweed and seagrasses are washed ashore. The bulk of this cast weed is bagged and sold in garden shops as garden mulch.

Seaweed harvesting in Tasmania is currently managed as a 'fishery' by the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment. For more information on seaweed harvesting in Tasmania, visit the 'seaweed fishery' website or visit the 'King Island Online' website.