The Minister for the Marine must work with traditional seaweed harvesters in Conamara to ensure that their rights – and the ecology of the coastline – are protected, according to the Social Democrats’ Galway West by-election candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich.
Míde made her comments as she welcomed Jennifer Whitmore TD – the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine – to Leitir Móir in Ceantar na nOileán today to hear the concerns of local seaweed harvesters.
Míde said:
“This is a huge issue for our local communities, with almost 21,000 people signing an online petition to stop large corporations from harvesting vast swathes of seaweed on the west coast.
“Seaweed has been harvested along the coast of Conamara for centuries. Traditional harvesters cut it by hand, and it is used as a fertiliser and in a variety of products. Some local harvesters have their rights registered on their folios, but many do not.
“An application from Canadian-owned Arramara led to major concerns about overharvesting; the denial of the rights of traditional harvesters, particularly those with unregistered rights; and the licencing system giving an unfair advantage to large corporations when most harvesters don’t make enough money from harvesting to justify the cost of the licence.
“There are genuine fears that granting licences to big companies undermines traditional rights, and that larger scale harvesting presents a risk to the ecosystem along our coast. The Minister for the Marine must listen to the concerns of traditional harvesters when it comes to the licencing system.”
Jennifer Whitmore TD, who has a background in ecology, marine science and environmental law, said:
“The importance of maintaining traditional harvesting rights for west of Ireland communities cannot be overstated. The ecology of our shoreline depends on the local knowledge of these harvesters, who are rightly concerned about seaweed resources being depleted on a massive scale by big commercial entities.
“Those engaged in traditional seaweed harvesting along Galway’s coastline have me and Míde’s full support. It is vital that the voices of local harvesters are heard – and fully taken on board – when they address the Oireachtas Fisheries Committee on April 28.”
April 20, 2026