Dr. Raul Ugarte – Marine Biologist
Unwavering Steward of the Resource
Dr. Raul Ugarte is responsible for resource science at Acadian Seaplants Limited. He joined the company in 1995, obtained his Ph.D. from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and has been working in the seaweed research field for 28 years.Dr. Ugarte developed an extensive stock assessment and monitoring program to evaluate, on an annual basis, the biomass and condition of the resource Ascophyllum nodosum (Rockweed) along almost 3,000 km of shoreline covering the company's leases in Atlantic Canada and the coastline of Maine, USA. The information he has collected over 16 years is unique due to its geographic extension and resolution. His program has allowed our company to establish accurate and conservative exploitation rates that not only ensure the conservation of the resource, but also the integrity of the habitat. The management of the Rockweed harvest by Acadian Seaplants is currently recognized as one of the best managed seaweed resources in the world and is becoming a model for other international seaweed resource management programs.
Dr. Ugarte and his team also maintain a regular research program to evaluate the population dynamic of Ascophyllum and the impact of the harvest. His extensive observations of the resource and the intertidal zone in the Atlantic Canadian region has resulted in the publication of numerous peer-reviewed research articles in leading international science journals.