Developing the seaweed industry in Ireland including the feasibility of developing seaweed farms
Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement on behalf of the Irish Seaweed Research Group
(ISRG) at NUI Galway. NUI Galway has a long history of seaweed research and currently there are
several active groups in the University with interests in areas including seaweed ecophysiology,
biomass conversion, bioremediation, functional foods, ecosystem effects, biodiversity and
conservation. The work of the ISRG likely to be most relevant to the committee relates to seaweed
biomass assessments and aquaculture. Recent projects of note are the seaweed hatchery project
coordinated by BIM1, Enalgae2 and MacroAlgaeBiorefinery3 (MAB3) projects. Work in Ireland on
these projects has generally focussed on refining techniques for cultivating species and estimating
likely yields from aquaculture. Other European countries scaling up their research in the use of
seaweeds are Denmark, Scotland and Holland to add to the pre-existing centres in Norway, France
and Spain.
There are three main headings that we would like to summarise information under before drawing
some conclusions based on the group’s experience:
1. Status of the seaweed industry and the Irish dimension
2. Issues at the scale of individual farms
3. Wider issues relating to seaweed aquaculture and harvesting
1. Status of the seaweed industry and the Irish dimension
According to recent figures from the FAO4 (2012), 19 million tonnes of seaweed were produced
worldwide, the vast majority of which (96%) is produced by aquaculture. This makes seaweed the
second largest global production after fresh water fish (by weight). The value of the seaweed harvest
was estimated at €4.6 billion ($5.7 billion) in 2010. Uses for seaweeds are varied, but the most
common uses are as a human food (majority of the production) or as raw material for phycocolloids
(collective term for gels extracted from seaweeds known as agar, alginate and carrageenan). They
are also used as a fertiliser and soil conditioner, as well as a dietary supplement for animals.
Contrary to the global situation, Irish seaweed production is predominantly hand-harvested from
wild resources, and mostly from the western/northern coasts. A handful of species have traditionally
been harvested, with most of the production from cutting Ascophyllum nodosum (feamainn bhuí;
egg wrack), ~25000-30000 wet tonnes. Others include Palmaria palmata (Creannach, dillisk), ~30
wet tonnes Laminaria digitata (coirleach; oar weed), ~200 wet tonnes, and maërl, 8000 wet tonnes
(although Irish harvests stopped several years ago).
1
PBA/ SW/07/001 (01), ‘Development and demonstration of viable hatchery and ongrowing methodologies
for seaweed species with identified commercial potential’. This project was carried out under the Sea Change
Strategy with the support of the Marine Institute and the Marine Research Sub-programme of the National
Development Plan, 2007-2013.
2
EU Interreg IVB NWE funded, details at http://www.enalgae.eu/
3
Danish council for strategic research funded, details at http://www.mab3.dk/
4
FAO (2012) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The state of the world fisheries and
aquaculture 2012. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. Rome. FAO 209 pp
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Aquaculture of a select few species does exist in Ireland, however much of the work to date has
been at the research or pilot scale level. Several commercial seaweed farms have developed over
the last 2-4 years, and with tonnages of between 50-90 wet tonnes per year of the kelps Alaria
esculenta and Saccharina latissima. According the latest statistics we have from BIM, there are
currently 7 existing seaweed aquaculture licenses, with a further 23 applied for.
Irish seaweed is either exported mainly to China for alginate extraction or used as a soil
conditioner/fertiliser (Ascophyllum nodosum), and used by small-medium sized Irish enterprises for
production of cosmetics and thallasotherapy, human food, plant growth stimulants and soil
conditioners, as well as livestock and pet food supplements. According to a study carried out by
Morrissey et al.5, the seaweed and biotechnology sector is worth €18 million per annum and
employs 185 full time equivalent people.
An inexhaustive list of Irish companies involved in developing and marketing higher value uses
include:
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BioAtlantis (plant growth stimulants and animal nutrition products)
Brandon Products (plant growth stimulants)
Voya (cosmetics and thallasotherapy)
Irish Atlantic Seaweed (pet food supplement)
LoTide (human food)
Wild Irish Sea Veg (human food)
2. Issues at the scale of individual farms
The BIM seaweed hatchery project looked into the feasibility of seaweed aquaculture for the
production of kelp species such as Laminaria digitata. The three year break-even price ranged
between €1.12 to €2.15 per fresh kilogram of cultured seaweed, depending on whether or not
seaweed was co-cultured with scallops to form a secondary revenue stream, and whether the
seaweeds were grown re-using old mussel longlines.
The BIM study was an attempt to understand the viability of seaweed aquaculture through one
collaborative project. It is difficult, however, to generalize about the likely sizes of future farms,
when successful economic models for Western Europe are not yet widely established. Therefore the
economic analyses that began in the BIM study and are currently being refined by the EnAlgae
project (and soon ready for public release) and will represent updated European estimates.
We hear that the speed of procesing licensing applications is considered to be an issue for seaweed
farmers. Our understanding is that seaweed farming is considered alongside other forms of
aquaculture and that the system is not yet clearly differentiating between animal and algal
aquaculture, despite the different potential impacts. While in general the seaweed industry has
become somewhat modernised with new developing and higher value products, seaweed
5
Morrissey K., O’Donoghue C., Hynes S. Quantifying the value of multi-sectoral marine commercial activity in
Ireland. 2011. Marine Policy 35 721-727.
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aquaculture is still a niche industry, the growth of which would benefit primarily from the efficient
granting of new licenses, enabling a critical mass of producers to develop.
Realistically a seaweed farm is likely to be unsustainable if coupled to a bulk market (e.g., milled
seaweed or alginate). Such markets are subject to global price variations and strong competition
from countries that can harvest at lower costs. A number of reports recognize the importance of
developing high value products. There is an example of this for a seaweed species that grows in
Ireland: Acadian Seaplants have developed a market for colour varieties of Chondrus crispus
cultivated in a land-based tank system in Charlesville, Nova Scotia6 (sold as Hana-Tsunomata™).
3. Wider issues relating to seaweed aquaculture and harvesting
The existing Irish harvests, primarily of Ascophyllum nodosum, appear to have been sustainable.
Expansion to very large scale wild harvesting of Ascophyllum or other species may not be sustainable
and is likely to have ecosystem impacts, particularly where the algal production would otherwise be
transferred to important fish, shellfish or bird species. These sorts of subsidies are not well
understood. As many potential harvest areas are protected under the EU Habitats directive, the
need for appropriate assessments and the precautionary principle may limit the scope for licensing
extensive harvesting.
In comparison to some fish aquaculture, seaweed aquaculture currently has a relatively benign
image. The ecosystem impacts of seaweed aquaculture are the subject of investigation within the
group. As growing algae take up nutrients, they may reduce issues related to excess fertilization of
coastal waters (eutrophication). Seaweed farms may provide additional habitat for species, including
nursery areas for fish. Seaweeds are grazed by invertebrates and supply dissolved and particulate
organic material to the adjacent system. This may boost the local productivity of an area.
The ecosystem roles of farmed seaweeds have already been raised in the context of what is known
as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA): the idea that growing a mix of species in close
proximity provides a synergy that has may reduce the environmental impact of traditional forms of
aquaculture, such as finfish production while providing additional sources of revenue for the farmer.
For example, salmon excrete nutrients that are taken up by seaweeds, with particulates from salmon
cages and seaweeds sustaining invertebrates like mussels.
Conclusions
The scientific consensus is that the sustainable future for seaweed harvesting and aquaculture is to
have new, high value products. This may be possible with a single product (e.g. the product HanaTsunomata™), but in many cases may require a diversity of income sources from each harvest.
Sometimes this is referred to as a biorefinery concept: where a series of high value products are
extracted from the source material.
Reaching the goal of a product or products from seaweed requires teams working across the value
chain, including investment in developing the markets for products. The potentially long lead-in to
generating profit makes this proposition difficult for small businesses. Developing markets is
6
http://www.acadianseaplants.com/marine-plant-seaweed-manufacturers/quality
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generally not something that universities do, or are funded to do. The nature of funding tends to
focus research on problems in specific fields. More broadly, there are issues in sustaining capacity
and knowhow in areas like aquaculture research. Funding for activities like new species
development is limited and instruments like the Societal Challenges pillar of Horizon 2020 are more
focussed on policy issues7.
We feel that it is important to have funding that integrates research teams and industry, but have
not found that the existing models are particularly accessible to the development of new products,
particularly where this contains an element of risk and the likely industrial partners have little scope
to make long term investments.
A potential initiative could be activities that bring the members of the research and commercial
community together. This could include facilities that are established on a cooperative basis (e.g.,
drying halls, processing equipment etc.). An approach slightly broader than a trade association may
be useful. There is a model in the UK that seeks to generally raise the awareness of seaweed for
health while raising the profile of member’s products (Seaweed Health Foundation8). A similar
initiative may be possible in Ireland, recognizing that participation may require a bottom-up
approach and that any financial costs of membership should not be so high as to exclude small or
new businesses.
7
For example, next year’s call H2020-SFS-2015-2 ‘Consolidating the environmental sustainability of European
aquaculture’
8
http://www.seaweedhealthfoundation.org.uk
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