The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) must clarify the process of securing traditional seaweed harvesting rights before any further commercial licences are granted, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore and the party\u2019s Galway West by-election candidate M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the issue of traditional seaweed harvesting rights was raised at today\u2019s Oireachtas Fisheries Committee, Deputy Whitmore said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was delighted to invite Mike \u00d3 Curraoin, a seaweed harvester from Leitir Calaidh, to today\u2019s committee hearing. Mike has been working with seaweed from a very young age \u2013 harvesting it by hand and using it as fertiliser on the land \u2013 so it is important that his expertise in this area is shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMARA today acknowledged that, in the absence of any official documentation, it can be difficult for harvesters to prove they have traditional rights to work in specific areas along the West of Ireland coastline.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraditionally, harvesters have had to demonstrate generational usage of a site, and then sign an affidavit to that effect. But this does not prevent somebody else coming in and claiming that they also have traditional rights in the same area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile MARA\u2019s website contains guidance on this issue, it is probably not explicit enough about the process. The authority further advises that traditional seaweed harvesters should ensure they are registered with Tailte \u2013 the State\u2019s registration and property valuation service \u2013 so there is a record of their rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt today\u2019s meeting, \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta made it clear they were not aware of the processes and were concerned about the uncertainty around pathways for harvesters to make themselves known. This highlights the level of confusion and lack of awareness surrounding the issue of seaweed harvesting rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear from today\u2019s committee hearing that there has been insufficient communication with traditional seaweed harvesters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the absence of clarity, we are calling on MARA to halt the issuing of licences to large commercial operators. There needs to be meaningful engagement with traditional seaweed harvesters on this issue \u2013 not just vague guidelines put up on a website.<\/p>\n
\u201cMARA appears to be under-resourced, with no national policy from Government directing what they can do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe existing process does not include enough protections for traditional seaweed harvesters. It is crucial that their voices are heard and they do not lose out to the interests of big multinationals because of gaps in the licensing system.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 28, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) must clarify the process of securing traditional seaweed harvesting rights before any further commercial licences are granted, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore and the party\u2019s Galway West by-election candidate M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich. Speaking after the issue of traditional seaweed harvesting rights was raised at today\u2019s Oireachtas Fisheries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,806,802,268,803,479],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-galway","category-galway-west","category-galway-west-by-election","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-mide-nic-fhionnlaoich","category-unlisted"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n