Ecological impacts, efficacy and economic feasibility of algal mat removal from temperate intertidal mudflats under blue nitrogen trading schemes.

Driven by eutrophic conditions, AM (algal mat) proliferation is now ubiquitous in coastal areas generating significant ecological and economic impacts. The need to mitigate negative effects has prompted the exploration of removal methods, but neither the success nor the impacts on intertidal mudflats have been assessed. Limited success using a specially-adapted vessel, prompted a shift to manual removal by hand-rake at two UK (Portsmouth and Poole) and two French study sites (Brittany and Normandy).