Concerns grow over firm's proposal for seaweed harvesting
Members of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District have voiced concerns about a Canadian firm seeking a commercial seaweed harvesting licence in Clew Bay.
The matter was raised at last week's municipal district meeting by Achill councillor Paul McNamara who said he and his colleagues had received calls and emails about a company being allowed a harvesting licence in Clew Bay.
"Some of the community is up in arms about this and a lot have a great relationship with the shoreline and the sea with a tradition going back hundreds of years of locals going to the shore and taking small amounts of seaweed and putting it on the land as fertiliser. There is great loyalty in these communities to their coastal area and they are in fear right along the coast in County Mayo that an outside body would take the seaweed and that would be totally unfair."
Cathaoirleach Cllr Peter Flynn said farmers along the coast had engaged in small-scale seaweed harvesting for generations.
“It is a way of life and each landowner owns the strip all the way down to the high water mark, so they have the rights there. A huge company would displace jobs that are there and that would be a grave concern. The seaweed is highly sought after for the growing of potatoes and vegetables because it is so alkaline and such a source of nutrients for the land.”
Cllr John O'Malley said a public meeting on the issue in Rosmuc in Connemara drew a crowd of 300.
“This is something that can’t and shouldn’t happen. The Taoiseach said he would not support in any way the community losing their way of life but then he said we can’t stand in the way of progress, talking out of both sides of his mouth, so we don’t know what he meant.”
Cllr Gerry Coyle said cutting seaweed entailed “the most slavish work and they deserve every penny they get”, noting that there are winkles and mussels within the seaweed and many people make their living on the winkles in Erris.
Cllr Chris Maxwell said there are two companies involved, BioAtlantis and Arramara, and the latter "withdrew an application a fortnight ago but the other is still in there”.
Head of the district Seamus O’Mongáin said the a potential commercial licence application would have to be submitted to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).
Cllr Flynn said he had reached out to MARA over the Newport sewerage scheme, to no avail, adding: “Welcome to Ireland if you think MARA will respond”.
Cllr Gerry Coyle added: “We deal with MARA every year around running our annual seaside festival. If you were building a nuclear reactor you wouldn’t have to answer as many questions as they put to us on that.”
It was agreed that the municipal district management make a submission to government on behalf of all seven West Mayo councillors against any commercial seaweed licence operator along the west coast.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
