In northern Chile, Macrocystis pyrifera form small beds from intertidal to 15 m in depth, characterized by low abundance and fragmented distribution (Vásquez et al. 2006). The overexploitation of M. pyrifera beds may have severe consequences for the environment because these species, as well as Lessonia trabeculata, are very important structural species in their respective communities (Vásquez et al. 2001), harboring a high diversity of organisms and generating particular conditions in their local environments.