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 separate submissions highlighting legislative uncertainty affecting traditional harvesters and opposition to large-scale commercial harvesting on the west coast.
The Marine Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) is now the statutory body responsible for regulating development in Ireland’s maritime area, including the granting of licences for harvesting wild seaweed.
“MARA has set out the legal framework for harvesting, including that all harvesters, including traditional harvesters, require a licence, and that existing rights holders have priority over new applicants,” Oireachtas committee chair Conor McGuinness said.
“However, MARA does provide an exemption from licence-holding for small-scale non-commercial harvesting for personal or domestic use.”
Department officials, State bodies, commercial operators and traditional seaweed harvesters were among stakeholders who appeared before the committee.
The seaweed harvesting sector employs around 950 people and was worth €160 million in 2024. The industry is primarily focused on pharmaceuticals, food, health and agriculture and has grown by 71 per cent since 2019.
Seaweed is also farmed in Ireland, and the committee says there are currently 37 licensed seaweed farming sites, with applications for 50 more. Afloat has also covered developments in Irish aquaculture, including new seaweed farming technology in Bantry Bay.
Following publication, the report will be available on the Oireachtas website. The launch is listed in the committee schedule.
Further coverage is available in Afloat’s Seaweed and Aquaculture sections.
