Human uses

Tidepools are a popular attraction for people of all ages. Kids climb and look around the pools, looking and examining the different organisms and creatures in the pools. It can be a great place to learn about the diverse ecosystem and get a hands on experience of the marine environment. Tidepools are also used by students and scientists to gather information from the ecosystem.   
I popular thing to do is tidepooling. During the low tides, the water recedes revealing interesting creatures and environments that were previously covered by the sea water. These tide pools hold an incredible diversity of marine life and is observed by people. Scientists, students and just regular people come here to see the marine life and use it for their studies. (1)

 Humans use intertidal zones to harvest animals and plants for bait, food and more recently, personal aquariums. More people have access to tidepools than ever before so more tidepools are being used to supply human needs. People also go to intertidal zones to collect shells, many shells are valued by collectors and can be used as a gift. Many of these shells, like sand dollars, are available in shops. (2)
Seaweed is an example of a food that can be harvested from rocky tide pools. Sea weed is present in the intertidal zone through most the year and peaks at different times, it provides a perfect resource for harvesting. The better sea weed is away from any cities or towns as the pollution effects the quality of them. All the seaweeds are edible, but some taste better than others and only grow in certain temperatures. It is harvested during the lowest tide of the month, as the water retreats and leaves tons of seaweed available. Seaweeds die back in the winter months and bloom again in from the same holdfasts during the spring and summer. When harvesting seaweed people don't take the whole plant as they want to ensure that the plant grows back again. (3)

 In Alaska they harvest invertebrates as well as seaweed, such as clams, crabs, snails, chitons and octopus. Harvesters have to obtain a sport fishing license in order to harvest them and if anyone wanted to collect any of the organisms they would need a fish resource permit to do so. The invertebrates here are harvested and caught for fun as well as a food source. However the Alaska Department of Fish and Game constantly check the population numbers to make sure that organisms are not being overfished or over harvested. (4)
http://www.visithalfmoonbay.org/tidepooling-half-moon-bay/
https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/ecosystem-infobooks/tide-pools/human-impact-and-conservation
http://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/harvesting-seaweed.html
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.tidepoolcollecting

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