[Underwater view of seaweeds.]
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Lucie Beaulieu: Seaweed growth is influenced by the environment in which it thrives, in other words, the nutrients in the water. If there’s a lot of nitrogen in the water, for example, at a certain time of year, the algae will incorporate the nitrogen, and this will often promote protein production. This is what has been demonstrated.
[Shot of Lucie Beaulieu in a kitchen.]
Also, if there are minerals in the water, or even if there were pollution and metals, the algae could incorporate them. Because it will incorporate the minerals into its composition. And in the marine environment, there’s also luminosity. So, depending on the time of year, it will grow differently. And, in fact, this will encourage the synthesis of certain compounds in the algae.
[Shot of red seaweed in the hands of a diver.]
For example, with a red seaweed called Palmaria palmata, we were able to highlight differences between the June harvest and the October harvest. The algae was much richer in nutrients in June than it was in October.
[View of the coast.]
Here in Quebec, we’re lucky enough to have fairly clean water.
[View of Percé Rock.]
Then there’s the fact that algae will grow close to the shore, and we don’t have much industry along our coasts.
[Back to Lucie.]
This is true in Gaspésie or even in Forillon Park, where there are producers who harvest seaweed. So, the waters are quite healthy, I’d say, and not so much toxic metals accumulation. But of course, if you harvest algae, you have to make sure you don’t have too much arsenic, for example, or cadmium or lead.
[Underwater view of seaweed.]
But the studies we’ve carried out so far have shown that the quantity was below the standards recommended for health.
[Exploramer logo.]
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