As described above, the seaweed was harvested both on the beach, where the seaweed washed up on shore was gathered, and at sea, using rafts and/or boats. Apart from the seaweed which washed up on shore and the seaweed found nearby, the Seaweed harvesters from the south coast of Viana do Castelo also used the seaweed which lay at the bottom of the “Carreiros do Argaço” (seaweed trails). In the same way, they cut the seaweed stuck to the rocks further away from the coast. For this work and to reach the seaweed on the bottom, they used rakes and scythes (croques and foucinhões), which were attached to long wooden poles (Baldaque da Silva, 1892).

The “Carreiros do Argaço” (seaweed trails) are the deepest spaces between the rock corridors, which go from the shore to the last row of rocks. From there, the depth increases, and the seaweed decreases.