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Essential for humans, the marine habitat is threatened, like the maërl. This red algae, a treasure of biodiversity, is weakened by the moorings of boats. In an attempt to remedy this, new anchoring techniques are being developed.
The harbor of Brest, in Finistère, does not immediately reveal all its secrets. There reigns under its waters a mysterious, invisible and little-known algae: maerl, a calcareous red algae. “We have a third of the maërl beds in rather good condition, a third rather degraded, and a third actually destroyed“, explains Nazaré Das Neves Bicho, Biodiversity Project Manager at the Armorique Regional Nature Park (Finistère). Seaweed has long been collected to improve crops. This fishing is now prohibited in the protected area. maërl, it is only to study it and measure the biodiversity it shelters.
Jacques Grall, researcher at the European University Institute of the Sea, has been scrutinizing the Maërl for 40 years. He is fascinated by this seaweed, whose Breton seabeds are particularly rich. “In the harbor of Brest, there are more than 1,000 animal species that are associated with maërl, and more than 100 species of algae“, assures the latter. Rigid and fragile, the maërl grows by one millimeter every three years and breaks easily, especially under the dredges of the fishermen, who rake the harbor of Brest to collect scallops, clams or scallops. It is also threatened by pleasure boats at anchor.Nicolas Samzun, founder of Temano, has devised a new system, based on rubber.It allows the seaweed to remain in place around a discreet anchoring point.