Eleanor Brettle: Professional Practice Google Site

The Project

Aim

The overall aim of this project was to assess the potential difference in ecosystem impacts of Ascophylum nodosum harvesting dependent on method of harvesting. Using an ecosystem based approach samples will be taken before harvesting, straight after harvesting and six months following the harvesting activity. Results from this work can potentially be used to aid management decisions surrounding the sustainable exploitation of seaweed in Ireland.

Hand harvesting

When: Low tide

How: Seaweed is cut using sickles or knives and gathered into large bundles

Boat Harvesting

When: High tide

How: Through use of a specialized "rake", designed to cut the seaweed, whilst leaving the holdfast intact, the seaweed is removed and brought onboard the boat

Sample Locations

Roundstone Field Site

Kinvara Field Site

Experimental Plots

My Work

Fieldwork

First Trip to Roundstone

During my first fieldwork we visited the Roundstone site to collect data from the data loggers, concerning light levels and temperature. There were 3 loggers, one for each plot.

Trip to Kinvara

The aim of this work was to set up fish traps in each of the plots during low tide in the morning. At the next low tide we returned and the pots were emptied, with species and biomass weight recorded. After being reset pots were then left over night to be collected in the morning.

Second Trip to Roundstone

This was a much longer campaign with the idea to collect all the post 6 month samples.

Quadrats: 6 biomass samples were taken from each plot. We used stratified random sampling in order to evenly target two habitat types; soft sediment and hard sediment.
Sediment Samples: From each of the 3 soft sediment quadrats an additional top 5cm sediment sample was also collected.
Fish Traps: Set using the same protocol as in Kinvara
Boat Harvester Observation

Laboratory Work

Laboratory work made up the majority of working hours and was made up of two main tasks; processing of samples, and sorting of invertebrate fauna. During processing, samples of A. nodosum collected from the two field sites: Roundstone and Kinvara, initially had any of the epiphyte seaweed Vertebrata lanosa removed (V lanosawas kept in separate sample pots), then the remaining seaweed was washed over a 500um sieve to collect the fauna. Collected organisms within the sieve were then sorted into Crustacea, Annelida and Mollusca. Removed V. lanosa was then also washed within a tray and similarly associated fauna was then sorted into the three phyla, along with both the dry and wet weight of V. lanosa recorded.

Conclusions

Overall, I feel like my professional practice has been extremely useful and also enjoyable. I have been introduced to the topic of resource management, and by being exposed to new fields of marine science I will be able to reassure my choice of career path and ensure it is something I find interesting and am passionate about. In addition to direct field work and lab experience, I have obtained new skills and also enhance previous skills such as organization, professional working attitude and networking. There is little I would change about the practice it matched both the description provided on matix and my expectations well.

Acknowledgments : I would like to thank my mentor José for all his support and amazing advice, also I would like to thank Charlene Linderhof, the PhD student undertaking the project for allowing us to collaborate as a part of her work. Finally I also want to thank all the staff at GMIT who aided my day to day work, the local harvesters for letting us observe their work, and also Gary who was fundamental aiding the logistics and carrying out fieldwork.

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