Water's Edge
Restoration & Management
Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting
Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH)
Suction Harvesting is a process during which a diver visually identifies the invasive plant being targeted, removes it by the root system, and deposits it into a containment bag at the surface via a suction hose, allowing for bulk removal and destruction. The advantages of mechanical harvesting facilitated by a diver are that specific plants can be chosen for removal, significantly reducing the risk of the unintentional destruction of protected or endangered species, as well as limiting the amount of native species removed. This increases their capability to repopulate the areas they have been push out of, giving the system a chance to return to it’s natural balance. The extraction of each plant by its root system is equally as important as it permanently eliminates that plant, rather than cutting its stem which only slows its growth temporarily. Harvesting the weeds using a suction method also creates a system by which the material can be moved in large amounts, increasing efficiency in both removal and disposal.