The kelp forests manage to recover following trawling taking place, however, it takes time. That is the conclusion after five years of researchers’ monitoring the effect of fish trawling on kelp forests on the Helgeland coast in Nordland county, Norway, according to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.

The kelp vegetation reestablishes in the area within the first five years of trawling. – For kelp forests to fully recover, a resting period of more than five years between each kelp harvesting is necessary, says researcher Henning Steen.

- By comparison, the resting period between kelp harvestings in areas where kelp is commercially harvested further south in Norway, is only four years.