The Ministry of Agriculture has offered two Mazzaella japonica harvest licences for the upcoming 2013 season. The licences offer a lower quota over a reduced area, to ensure the harvesting is done in an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable manner, and reflects feedback received from the community, First Nations, industry and governments over the past year.

The two licences each allow a harvest with a maximum volume of 300 metric tonnes. The harvesting can only be conducted by hand, on five kilometres of beach near Bowser. Vehicles used to transport product from the beach must have a low impact footprint and stay on hard ground. The licences permit harvesting between Sept. 15, 2013 and Feb. 15, 2014, ending ahead of the typical early March spawning season for herring. Provincial fisheries inspectors will be monitoring the harvest.

This is multi-year pilot program put in place to explore the viability of an ongoing harvest. In 2012, five licences were issued, each for up to 1,000 tonnes, to be collected by hand, from 21 kilometres of shoreline running south from Deep Bay. The five licensees collectively harvested 300 tonnes in 2012, which lead to harvesting and processing employment.

The Ministry of Agriculture has contracted the University of Victoria to study and review any ecological impacts the harvesting of the washed-up aquatic plants may have and will also continue to solicit community, industry, First Nation and local government feedback on the program to evaluate licence parameters and conditions in future years. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has also provided advice on protecting fish and fish habitat in the area.

Mazzaella japonica is an introduced species to B.C. waters and is used internationally as a stabilizer in the food processing industry. Only a small fraction of the plants that washed up on to the shores within the licensed area in 2012 were harvested. Beach cast harvesting could present an opportunity for local coastal economies and provide the Province a new source of resource revenues for the benefit of all British Columbians.

Media contact:

Dave Townsend
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Agriculture
250 356-7098
250 889-5945 (cell)