A trenchant case for greater Government support for seaweed cultivation was made in Galway yesterday at an inaugural meeting of a new national forum.
Inadequate harvesting and aquaculture legislation and the lack of responsibility for maintaining small piers were among the practical issues highlighted at the forum, which was hosted by the ISIO, the Irish Seaweed Industry Organisation, and opened by the Minister of State for Arts, Heritage, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Mr Eamon O Cuiv.
The forum, which is chaired by Dr Henry Lyons, of the Institute of Technology, Tralee, Co Kerry, was promised almost 16 months ago by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, who was unable to make yesterday's first meeting as he was attending the funeral of former Taoiseach Mr Jack Lynch.
The Irish seaweed industry is small, compared to a worldwide industry worth over $4 billion, but "thriving". Involving some 18 companies here, it has increased its GNP from £2.4 million in 1994 to almost £7 million last year. It employs more than 500 people on a full and part-time basis, mainly in rural coastal areas classified as disadvantaged.
The ISIO, which was set up in 1994 as a collaborative venture between seaweed processing companies and NUI Galway, believes this coastline has the potential to yield almost 75,000 tonnes of knotted wrack - twice the amount currently harvested to supply the European alginate industry.
A large quantity of seaweed harvested here is being exported for use as thickeners, emulsifiers and stabilisers in toothpaste, ice-cream and other diverse products. Seaweed is also used for fertiliser, animal fodder, and health and beauty products.
