Management and sustainable harvesting of marine macroalgae species: A North Atlantic perspective

Marine macroalgae are increasingly valued as a sustainable resource for food, feed, and high-value bioproducts, yet the regulatory frameworks governing their wild harvest and cultivation remain fragmented across the North Atlantic. This study reviews the management and harvesting of marine macroalgae species in Atlantic Canada, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, and Norway (45° N–66° 34′ N), drawing on 148 sources, including 34 statutory documents, from a systematic search of peer-reviewed and grey literature. A novel scoring matrix was applied to each jurisdiction across the categories of maintenance, harvesting, processing, fees, rights, monitoring and prosecution, and environmental protection, with legislation scored (0–2) against four criteria: comprehension, suitability, specificity, and clarity. Results reveal a regulatory patchwork shaped by differing institutional histories and supranational obligations. Canada achieved the highest scores for harvesting (88%) and maintenance (69%); the United Kingdom demonstrated the strongest environmental protection framework (100%); and Norway led in monitoring and prosecution (75%). Overall averaged scores ranged narrowly from Canada (47%) to Iceland (34%), with a mean of 39%. There is an urgent need to move beyond yield maximization towards ecosystem-based management that safeguards long-term species and habitat health. Nevertheless, results showed that countries with strong environmental protection still had a thriving macroalgae industry. Key recommendations include applying the precautionary principle to vulnerable species, embedding species-specific protocols into enforceable regulations, standardising harvest reporting, and integrating climate change factors into environmental monitoring. The methodology offers a replicable template for evaluating macroalgae governance in other emerging regions worldwide.