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       | History of Irish Seaweed |
| by Jim Morrissey on 2001-11-15 | |
 A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEAWEED USE IN IRELANDBy Jim Morrissey Irish Seaweed Centre, NUI Galway Seaweed is an amazing fully renewable natural resource In Ireland, a country with a coastline in excess of 5,000km, it has been used as fertiliser and food by coastal dwellers for hundreds of years. Traditionally, the main use of seaweed was as fertiliser, spectacularly documented in the film ‘The Field’, notably in the famous quote from Bull Mc Cabe, “God made the world and seaweed made that field”. It enriched soil to allow cultivation. During Irelands potato famine of 1847-48, certain seaweeds were used as food, thereby linking negative associations of seaweed with poverty and famine. This image has gradually changing in Ireland as people realise that seaweeds are a superior source of minerals, trace elements, and vitamins compared to land-based vegetables. Seaweeds have the unique ability to mop up the complete range of elements from the seawater surrounding them. Accordingly, they have a complete supply of minerals and trace elements concentrated thousands of times in their fronds. At the beginning of the 18th century the process of burning kelp was introduced from Europe into Ireland. The burnt ash remains of kelp contained soda and potash that was used for pottery glazing and in the manufacture of glass and soap. Many kilns came into operation around the coast utilising local kelp cast up on the shore. This activity faded away in the early 19th century before being revitalised by the discovery of iodine in kelp ash which kept the kelp industry alive till after WW I. The ruins of kelp kilns are still visible along the west coast.The introduction of high quality seaweed concentrated liquid extracts as growth stimulants for high quality sports-turf and correctors of deficiencies on all types of crops.Arramara Teoranta founded in 1955 is a semi-state company for The Irish seaweed industry. Responsible for gathering knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) and occasionally ‘sea rods’ (Laminaria hyperborea) through a large network of hand harvesters along the west coast. After drying and milling the bulk seaweed meal is exported for secondary processing into alginates. Seaweed production in Ireland is around 35,000 tonnes compared to the annual global production figure of 10 million tonnes. Nevertheless, it still contributes about €8million annually to the Irish economy and employs 500 people (many part-time) in seaweed harvesting and processing, in peripheral coastal areas where alternative employment is scarce. The preservation of coastal maritime communities is critical for the development of a national sense of cultural identity and the seaweed industry in tandem with aquaculture has played an important role in the maintenance of such communities Since the 18th century, when scientific investigations of Irish seaweed species began in earnest, over 500 different species of seaweed from Irish waters have been identified. Given the small area of the island, this relatively high number represents a high diversity of seaweed for Ireland. France, with a considerably longer coastline has about 690 species. One reason for this diversity is that Ireland is located between 51 and 55° N, occupying a range of latitudes that straddle both the northern limit for some warm-water species and the southern limit for some cold-water species.Recently the ‘added value’ sector of the industry has emerged using seaweed to produce attractive, high quality products. Several companies now produce a comprehensive range of sea-vegetables and seaweed-based body-care products. In addition, services such as seaweed baths and treatments are growing in popularity as more people become aware of the health benefits and relaxation derived from their use. The use of certain seaweed extracts in biotechnology, medicine and healthcare is growing, and will become more important as additional research uncovers more unique properties of seaweeds. In many ways recent ‘discoveries’ in seaweed research support and validate anecdotal evidence of seaweeds boosting general health and old ‘folk remedies’ that treated colds, bronchitis etc. with seaweed preparations. Only a small fraction of Irish seaweeds has been put to any commercial use, notably a dozen or so of the larger species which together account for a high percentage of the overall seaweed biomass. The current uses of seaweeds in Ireland maybe summarized in the following main categories;•foods and food supplements (edible seaweeds are marketed as sea-vegetables); •fertilizers, liquid seaweed extracts, soil conditioners and animal feed supplements; •raw material for seaweed polymers (alginates) •cosmetics, body-care products, thalassotherapy and medical preparations.The list of commercially useful species currently about 16, is not static, and additional species will be added as more research is carried out. Likely areas of growth in seaweed use include biotechnology, medicine, body-care products and functional foods.Ireland’s enviable location as, ‘an island off western Europe surrounded by clean seas’, is a major selling point to the world market. Through research and investment in the development of innovative, value-added products, seaweed aquaculture, and services, the Irish seaweed industry should continue to grow as a vibrant, industry based on the sustainable utilisation of Irelands natural seaweed resource. A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEAWEED USE IN IRELANDBy Jim Morrissey Seaweed is an amazing fully renewable natural resource In Ireland, a country with a coastline in excess of 5,000km, it has been used as fertiliser and food by coastal dwellers for hundreds of years. Traditionally, the main use of seaweed was as fertiliser, spectacularly documented in the film ‘The Field’, notably in the famous quote from Bull Mc Cabe, “God made the world and seaweed made that field”. It enriched soil to allow cultivation. During Irelands potato famine of 1847-48, certain seaweeds were used as food, thereby linking negative associations of seaweed with poverty and famine. This image has gradually changing in Ireland as people realise that seaweeds are a superior source of minerals, trace elements, and vitamins compared to land-based vegetables. Seaweeds have the unique ability to mop up the complete range of elements from the seawater surrounding them. Accordingly, they have a complete supply of minerals and trace elements concentrated thousands of times in their fronds. At the beginning of the 18th century the process of burning kelp was introduced from Europe into Ireland. The burnt ash remains of kelp contained soda and potash that was used for pottery glazing and in the manufacture of glass and soap. Many kilns came into operation around the coast utilising local kelp cast up on the shore. This activity faded away in the early 19th century before being revitalised by the discovery of iodine in kelp ash which kept the kelp industry alive till after WW I. The ruins of kelp kilns are still visible along the west coast.The introduction of high quality seaweed concentrated liquid extracts as growth stimulants for high quality sports-turf and correctors of deficiencies on all types of crops.Arramara Teoranta founded in 1955 is a semi-state company for The Irish seaweed industry. Responsible for gathering knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) and occasionally ‘sea rods’ (Laminaria hyperborea) through a large network of hand harvesters along the west coast. After drying and milling the bulk seaweed meal is exported for secondary processing into alginates. Seaweed production in Ireland is around 35,000 tonnes compared to the annual global production figure of 10 million tonnes. Nevertheless, it still contributes about €8million annually to the Irish economy and employs 500 people (many part-time) in seaweed harvesting and processing, in peripheral coastal areas where alternative employment is scarce. The preservation of coastal maritime communities is critical for the development of a national sense of cultural identity and the seaweed industry in tandem with aquaculture has played an important role in the maintenance of such communities Since the 18th century, when scientific investigations of Irish seaweed species began in earnest, over 500 different species of seaweed from Irish waters have been identified. Given the small area of the island, this relatively high number represents a high diversity of seaweed for Ireland. France, with a considerably longer coastline has about 690 species. One reason for this diversity is that Ireland is located between 51 and 55° N, occupying a range of latitudes that straddle both the northern limit for some warm-water species and the southern limit for some cold-water species.Recently the ‘added value’ sector of the industry has emerged using seaweed to produce attractive, high quality products. Several companies now produce a comprehensive range of sea-vegetables and seaweed-based body-care products. In addition, services such as seaweed baths and treatments are growing in popularity as more people become aware of the health benefits and relaxation derived from their use. The use of certain seaweed extracts in biotechnology, medicine and healthcare is growing, and will become more important as additional research uncovers more unique properties of seaweeds. In many ways recent ‘discoveries’ in seaweed research support and validate anecdotal evidence of seaweeds boosting general health and old ‘folk remedies’ that treated colds, bronchitis etc. with seaweed preparations. Only a small fraction of Irish seaweeds has been put to any commercial use, notably a dozen or so of the larger species which together account for a high percentage of the overall seaweed biomass. The current uses of seaweeds in Ireland maybe summarized in the following main categories;•foods and food supplements (edible seaweeds are marketed as sea-vegetables); •fertilizers, liquid seaweed extracts, soil conditioners and animal feed supplements; •raw material for seaweed polymers (alginates) •cosmetics, body-care products, thalassotherapy and medical preparations.The list of commercially useful species currently about 16, is not static, and additional species will be added as more research is carried out. Likely areas of growth in seaweed use include biotechnology, medicine, body-care products and functional foods.Ireland’s enviable location as, ‘an island off western Europe surrounded by clean seas’, is a major selling point to the world market. Through research and investment in the development of innovative, value-added products, seaweed aquaculture, and services, the Irish seaweed industry should continue to grow as a vibrant, industry based on the sustainable utilisation of Irelands natural seaweed resource. | |
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