An aquatic weed harvester, also known as a water mower,mowing boat and

weed cutting boat, ​is an aquatic machine specifically designed for inland watercourse

management to cut and harvest underwater weeds, reeds and other aquatic plant life.

The action of removing aquatic plant life in such a manner has been referred to as

"aquatic harvesting".

Weed cutting boats are developed to enable the maintenance of canals, lakes

and rivers and to remove excessive aquatic life such as algae and other plants that

may negatively affect a waterway's ecology​. Mechanical harvesters are large floating

machines that have underwater cutting blades that sever the stems of underwater

plants, gather the weeds and raise them on conveyor belts, storing the vegetation on

board in a hold. Periodically this is discharged to a barge or an onshore facility. The

harvested product can be composted​, sent to a landfill site or used in land

reclamation​. In developing countries aquatic vegetation may be harvested by hand or

by net from the shore, cut and harvested by boat and lifted ashore by hand, crane,

pump or conveyor system. The harvested vegetation may be used for the feeding of

livestock. To reduce the high moisture content and to make it easier to transport, the

weed can be chopped and pressed. ​Other uses to which the harvested vegetation can

be put include ensiling the material for livestock fodder, adding it to the soil as a

bulky organic fertilizer, manufacturing the raw material into pulp, paper or fibre, and

fermenting​ it to produce​ methane​ for energy production.

Advantages and disadvantages

Mechanical harvesters can be effective at clearing aquatic weeds but the

machines are expensive and the process may need to be repeated several times in a

growing season. Small fragments of weed remain in the water and may spread to

other locations thereby aiding in the dispersal of invasive species. Some areas may

be too shallow for the mechanical harvester and it may be unable to access restricted
locations. Submerged tree stumps can damage the machine. An alternative to

mechanical harvesting is the use of herbicides, which are easy to apply and less

expensive, but may have unwanted impacts on the environment.