MTN 87:3 Guest Editorial: US NMFS Rejects Proposed Ban on the Harvest of Sargassum Seaweed

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Guest Editorial:
US NMFS Rejects Proposed Ban on the Harvest of Sargassum Seaweed

Dan Evans
Sea Turtle Survival League, Caribbean Conservation Corporation, 4424 NW 13th Street, Ste A-1, Gainesville, Florida, FL 32609, USA (E- mail: ccc@cccturtle.org)

In August 1999 the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) submitted a Fisheries Management Plan for review by the United States National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The plan called for reducing the harvest of Sargassum seaweed in 2000, and banning by 2001 all future Sargassum harvesting in waters off the southeast coast of the United States. On November 24, 1999 after receiving over 340 comments, NMFS rejected the plan, stating that it was inconsistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that management plans minimize adverse effects on fish habitat caused by fishing with consideration to the ability of the habitat to recover from fishing efforts. NMFS said that Sargassum quickly recovers from harvest and that the current annual take of 20,000 pounds (9000 kg; to be used as an additive for pig and turkey feed) is only about 0.0002% of the estimated standing biomass of over 9 billion pounds of Sargassum. In addition, NMFS said the plan did not specify a maximum sustainable yield for the Sargassum, which is a necessary component of a Fisheries Management Plan.

Public comment focused on the important role that Sargassum plays in the life cycle of sea turtles. In response, NMFS said that “the limited harvest of pelagic Sargassum is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species...” However, NMFS did recognize the importance of Sargassum as habitat to a wide variety of species and also recognized the SAFMC’s efforts to maintain and protect the health and quantity of Sargassum habitat. Instead of a complete ban on Sargassum harvesting, NMFS recommended that SAFMC’s plan include less restrictive management options such as a restricted harvest, seasonal and areal restrictions and the use of an onboard observer.

The rejection of a ban on the harvest of Sargassum by the year 2001 is, especially in light of the intended use of this priceless resource, irresponsible and short-sighted on the part of NMFS. Although the current level of Sargassum being harvested is relatively low, allowing any Sargassum harvest raises the potential for increased demand for Sargassum by other companies. Even now, international fishing companies may be looking to harvest Sargassum off the coast of the southeast United States. NMFS had a chance to plan for the future, take a long-term approach to management, and prevent the loss of a vital habitat for fish and sea turtle species. I feel that NMFS has let that chance slip away.