Inventory and Mapping of the Seaweed Resources in Québec

The cold water macroalgae growing along rocky coastlines of Québec are a valuable natural resource since they are used in the manufacture of a wide range of products. Presently, several companies harvest and process these seaweeds with the support of the NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Marine Macroalgae which provides scientific knowledge and expertise in this field. New companies are emerging and the sustainable development of this industry requires that reliable up to date informations on the location, composition and biomass of seaweed beds be readily available. A project was conducted in 2013 to gather historical and current informations on seaweed beds in a database accessible via an internet platform developed by Observatoire Global du St-Laurent (OGSL). This tool allows different users such as businesses, researchers, and government agencies to add new data and mine the database. Besides its utility for the industry, this work will help to identify areas where inventory efforts are needed and to survey the changes in the abundance and location of seaweed beds.