Macro-Algae Harvesting Program - Harvesting in Action
Bob Shockley, a key member of the macroalgae harvesting team, operates a harvester in Delaware’s Inland Bays. While operating the harvester, Bob will monitor the quantities and types of macroalgae that is being collected. Another part of a harvester operator’s job is to reduce the amount of by-catch that is collected with the algae. He can do this by stopping or reversing the conveyor belt on the front of the harvester if the amount of by-catch on the belt is too heavy.
After a harvester collects a full load of macroalgae, it must come to shore. The macroalgae is then unloaded by conveyor belt from the harvester into a front-end loader.
The macroalgae material, after unloaded from the harvester, is placed by front-end loader into a dump truck to be hauled to a final disposal site.
(7/13/05) These pictures were taken at Holt’s Landing State Park in Sussex County, Delaware. This area was the subject of concern over possible fish kill conditions due in part to a heavy accumulation of macroalgae at this location. It is the policy of the Macroalgae Harvesting Team to make environmental and fisheries concerns their highest priority for clean up. For this reason the Macroalgae Harvesting Team was immediately deployed to this area after complaints came in about this particular situation. The following pictures were taken before the harvesters had arrived to this area:
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(7/21/05) This second set of pictures shows the same area at Holt’s Landing State Park, in Sussex County, Delaware, on the last day of harvesting efforts of the Macroalgae Harvesting Team at this location. From these pictures the vast improvements to the area are evident:
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Three members of the Macroalgae Harvesting Team (left to right), Jeff Hertzog, Fonnie Miller, and Bob Shockley, pose for a photo in front of the dump truck used to dispose of harvested macroalgae:
