Seaweed
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs has called for a national policy on the sustainable harvesting of seaweed, along with appropriate structures to improve collaboration and consultation. A report published on Thursday (22 October) also calls for…
Seaweed Harvesting and Licensing Report To Be Published By Oireachtas Committee
21st October 2026 Seaweed
The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs will publish its report on seaweed harvesting and licensing on Thursday (22 October) at 10am in Leinster House. Earlier this year, the committee began a series of hearings on the issue, following…
Galway-based Óir na Farraige has installed a submerged seaweed farm in Bantry Bay, using a new mooring system designed to increase production while reducing the visual impact of aquaculture. Galway-based regenerative ocean farming company Óir na Farraige (ÓNF) has completed…
Ireland-Grenada Internship Supports Research on Seaweed and Coastal Pollution in Caribbean
7th October 2026 Marine Science
The Marine Institute has successfully piloted an international internship programme with the School of Arts and Sciences at St George’s University in Grenada, in the West Indies, through the Our Shared Ocean capacity strengthening programme. This year the initiative has…
Sheep wool is key to making seaweed farming plastic-free, according to engineers from Queen’s University Belfast. The experts have been working on an innovative project for the last two years in a bid to drive forward sustainability in the industry.…
A tiny red seaweed confirmed as completely new to science has been identified off Cornwall by the British public body Natural England. Underwater surveys of maerl beds off the south coast of Cornwall have uncovered a “remarkable array of rare…
Harvesting of wild seaweed is to be discussed by the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs on Tuesday. The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House will run two sessions and will hear from: 11am –…
Irish Company Secures Funding As Part of EU Project to Develop Seaweed Farming
17th April 2026 Seaweed
A newly established Irish seaweed company has secured funding for an EU project to expand the growth of the “superfood” in Ireland’s waters. Galway-based company Óir na Farraige is collaborating with the EU’s Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to…
A West Cork marine biotechnology company has launched Ireland’s first health supplement range made from native red seaweed. Pure Ocean Algae, based on the Beara Peninsula, has brought its new nutraceutical products to market in Ireland and the UK, with…
Fine Gael senator Seán Kyne has called for protection of traditional rights to seaweed harvesting. As Afloat has reported, there is controversy over a stipulation under the Marine Planning Act that all harvesters must register with the Maritime Area Regulatory…
Seaweed Rights Activist Calls on MARA To Review Its Approach To Registration
26th February 2026 Seaweed
A leading Connemara seaweed rights activist has called on the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) to reconsider its plan to ensure all seaweed harvesters register for such activity by 2028. John Bhaba Jeaic O Conghaíle of Choiste Cearta Feamainne agus…
Communities along Ireland’s west coast say they will resist moves they believe threaten generations-old seaweed harvesting rights. According to RTE News, Canadian-owned Arramara Teoranta has renewed applications to harvest seaweed across multiple bays in Conamara. Arramara Teoranta was acquired in…
Ireland is leading a new EU-backed initiative to scale sustainable seaweed farming while restoring marine ecosystems across Europe. The SEAGROW project is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and is coordinated from Ireland by Óir Na Farraige.…
When Michael O’Neill began fishing in Castletownbere, Co Cork, in 1992, he never envisaged that he and his wife Aileen would become players in a 167 billion US dollar industry for nutritional supplements. Aileen runs Irish Atlantic Sea Salt from…
Applications Open for Aquatech Innovation Studio Run by BIM and Hatch Blue
25th April 2025 Marine Tech
Companies working in areas contributing to sustainable seafood production and ocean health have been urged to apply to participate in this year’s Aquatech Innovation Studio. BIM has teamed up with aquaculture accelerator Hatch Blue to run the free, intensive six-day…
New Irish Seaweed Association Chair Calls for Government Action on Aquaculture Licensing Review Recommendations
3rd March 2025 Seaweed
The global seaweed industry is projected to reach €22 billion by 2028, participants at the new Irish Seaweed Association’s (ISA) launch at Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) heard late last week. Gareth Murphy, chair of the new association and seaweed project…
