HOW TO COLLECT SEAWEEDS 



^ EA WEEDS rarely grow in the free floating state, but in- 

 stead are fixed firmly at their bases and remain station- 

 ary throughout life. Only in the Sargasso Sea north- 

 east of the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Thailand are 

 there sizable quantities of the brown alga Saiqassum. 

 (see Fig. 141) hving in the free floating state. Elsewhere 

 the seaweeds grow attached to the bottom or to each 

 other. Since an unstable bottom such as one of sand or mud is un- 

 favorable to the attachment of seaweeds, they are usually absent 

 from such substrates except in quiet bays and lagoons where agita- 

 tion is sUght. On surfy shores the algae are essentially confined to 

 rocky places where their firm attachments give them resistance *o 

 wave shock. This is especially true along the rugged, wave-swept 

 Pacific Coast where the collector rarely encounters the richly vege- 

 tated quiet bays or estuaries such as occur so frequently along the 

 Atlantic Coast. 



The coasts of the United States offer a diversity of marine habitats 

 scarcely equalled by those of any other nation. This diversity is so 

 great that no single set of directions can be made suitable for a col- 

 lector among the Florida keys, another on Cape Cod and another on 

 Puget Sound. One can only make a few general remarks and sug- 

 gestions, leaving the rest to the adjustabiUty and ingenuity of the 

 American individual wherever he may be. 



At the outset it is clear that one must get to the seashore to collect 

 seaweeds, but this is not always as simple as it may seem. Many of 

 our rocky shores abounding in algae ate subject to surf of varying 

 intensity whereby collecting is made difficult or impossible except at 

 times of lowest water. Accordingly, it is necessary to select a suitable 

 time for the collecting trip, depending upon the state of the tide. Tide 

 tables issued by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey or by various 

 sporting goods houses for the use of fishermen should be consulted 

 for the times of suitable low water. The so called "minus tides" are 

 the best, but even with only moderately low water much can be done 

 if the surf is not too severe. The collector should plan to begin work 

 at the shore at least two hours before the time of low tide in order 

 to work the clearer water of the falHng tide and to select his material 

 successively from higher to lower levels while the plants are freshly 

 exposed and still wet and unshriveled from desiccation. 



Collecting equipment on a rocky shore should consist of a pail or 

 two for carrying the specimens, a quantity of plastic bags for separating 



