For centuries, the livelihoods of Newfoundland’s local and commercial harvesters have depended on the abundance of natural resources in the North Atlantic. They also understand the delicate balance of farming responsibly to sustain healthy marine populations. In this sense, we are especially enthusiastic as this year’s harvest season approaches. Through our green initiatives and partnerships with researchers and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), we are refining our surveying practice of the marine ecosystem around Grates Cove. On bright, calm days, marine observations reveal an abundance of wildlife thriving above and beneath the surface. Lush algae and capelin gliding with the tide, whales breaching out of the blue, small boats lifting nets of fish from the ocean, the white and red buoys of lobster pots, the full vitality of the island’s marine ecosystem is visible everywhere.
How and Why We Survey Seaweed Beds
We want to develop a more intimate relationship with the marine ecosystem responsible for producing the bioactives in our seaweed extract. The goal is to survey the size of the beds of the species we work with, laminaria digitata and bladderwrack, determine which location is best to harvest this year, and, most of all, monitor their regrowth from one harvest season to the next. These observations establish a mutual relationship between harvester and resource, one based on reciprocity and sustainability. It is essential to our gentle, green approach to harvesting. In documenting the health of seaweed populations, we are nurturing the natural resource that will enable us to deliver seaweed-powered skincare long into the future.
Diving to collect samples of various seaweed species in partnership with DFO
Discovering New Harvesting Sites through Surveying
These surveys have also been a means of exploration and discovery. While skirting the coves along the region’s coastlines, we discovered a new location known as Heart Cove, a beautiful area north of Grates Cove. It has a plentitude of beds rich in older growth. It’s exciting to find a promising site, but we are taking our time. The priority right now is on measuring the growth health of these beds.
Placing samples of Laminaria Digitata inside of bags
Peak Bioactivity: How Folklore and Science Support a Late Summer Harvest
Following the centuries-long ritual in Newfoundland, we’ve been preparing for our main harvest season. But this time around, Courtney noticed differences in the laminaria digitata. While sampling this species in late June, it surprised her as she lifted it out of the ocean and felt its texture in her hands. It wasn’t releasing the oozing gel characteristic of the species. At about that time our boat operator Darrin, born and raised in Grates Cove, shared an anecdote of local lore. As legend has it, the restorative power of the ocean was common knowledge amongst fishermen. They would often say “the water heals your hands in late August and September.” Long before anyone measured seaweed bioactivity, those fishermen spoke from experience, bearing witness to how the water would soothe the skin barrier of their weathered hands. For generations, this phenomenon was passed down as a home remedy. It turns out measurement of laminaria digitata’s and bladderwrack’s solubility measures highest in the late summer, meaning it’s the period of most potent bioactivity. Through surveying and testing, this folk wisdom has transformed into sea wisdom.
Boat Operator Darrin (Left) and Co-Founder Terrence Howell (right) exploring the coastline off of Grates Cove in search of new harvesting sites
How Seasonal Variability Powers SeaWise™
Guided by the natural cycle of the marine ecosystem surrounding Grates Cove, we harvest during the passage of the season from summer to fall. The presence of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant bioactives in seaweed is dependent on seasonal variability. Various studies establish that bioactive compounds in brown seaweeds are richest during their reproductive phase – but before this happens, Laminaria Digitata and Bladderwrack endure months of relentless storm exposure over the winter with severe salt spray, tidal turbulence, and UV exposure. As coastal conditions ease, their tattered blades recover and they begin releasing their reproductive spores. Around the North-Western Avalon, this process coincides with the late summer. At this time the two seaweed species that we work with become the most bioactive-rich and fecund they will be all year. The result is the creation of seaweed extract highly concentrated in fucoidan, polyphenols, and other bioactives that hydrate, protect, and soothe the skin barrier.
