#Seaweed - Seaweed cultivation could be a big winner for jobs and the economy, according to a new report by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
The Irish Times has more on the report commissioned for a conference held by the Irish sea fisheries board in Limerick yesterday (18 November), which recommends bumping up to commercial farming of two 'brown' seaweeds, Alaria esculenta and Laminaria saccharina, grown in West Cork and Dingle Bay.
That's in addition to targeting high value 'red' seaweeds used as nori in Japanese cuisine - as well as dulse or dilsk, of which Ireland is already the second largest producer.
These are just a tiny fraction of the 500 or so types of seaweed native to Irish waters, and alone could provide for as many as 200 new jobs between farming and processing, according to BIM.
The report comes after seaweed was promoted as the main theme of the Burren Slow Food Expo this summer, with the likes of Darina Allen singing the praises of the versatile foodstuff.
It also comes some months after the Government promised a review of seaweed harvesting rights over concerns along the Connemara coast at growing commercial interest in what's an established traditional coastal community activity.
