Seaweed has long been considered a healthy and enriching delicacy in many cultures. But with fish stocks under pressure it's becoming an important alternative source of revenue to traditional fishing and aquaculture in Europe.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Our seas are facing mounting pressures
00:14 from climate change, pollution, and overfishing.
00:18 This grim reality threatens the catches and the livelihoods
00:22 of countless fishers.
00:24 Could emerging alternatives, like seaweed farming,
00:28 help restore our oceans and secure a more sustainable
00:31 future for fishers?
00:32 The clear waters of Monroy Bay in Northwest Ireland
00:44 are ideal for organic aquaculture.
00:46 Dozens of people cultivate mussels, oysters, and salmon
00:50 here, like former fisherman Jerry Gallaher.
00:53 I was a commercial fisherman.
00:57 We driftnetted for salmon.
00:59 We fished crab.
01:01 We fished lobster.
01:02 We bottom trawled.
01:04 And we gillnetted.
01:07 Jerry turns to aquaculture after fish stocks
01:10 dwindled, making traditional fishing no longer
01:12 economically viable.
01:15 People are still fishing, obviously,
01:16 but not in the same numbers.
01:19 And the effort per catch now is huge.
01:22 If you give me a boat now and told me that's your boat now,
01:25 if you go fishing, I would be telling you,
01:27 you just keep the boat.
01:28 I'm fat.
01:29 I wouldn't do it.
01:32 Now Jerry's operations extend beyond shellfish.
01:36 Monroy Bay is home to the flourishing algae farm
01:39 spanning dozens of hectares.
01:42 On underwater lines grow edible seaweeds,
01:45 such as alari esculanta, also known as Atlantic wakame,
01:49 a well-known local species and traditional food
01:52 in many North Atlantic countries.
01:56 Jerry's daughter, Lorraine, who studied human nutrition,
02:00 manages the farm.
02:01 Her interest in the potential health benefits
02:03 of a seaweed-based diet, inspired by longevity trends
02:06 in countries like Japan, led her to launch this venture.
02:11 I realized that we have such an amazing coastline here
02:14 in Ireland.
02:15 My family worked in aquaculture, so my brain just
02:18 started ticking.
02:19 And I said, I think there's a huge potential here
02:21 with seaweed.
02:23 The seeding begins in October, and by April, the seaweed
02:26 is ready for harvest.
02:29 Jerry Gallaher says that this work
02:31 is ideal for those coming from fishing and aquaculture,
02:35 offering them valuable employment
02:37 during the quieter seasons.
02:38 People coming from fisheries, totally, you know, it's ideal.
02:45 They would all have a bit of a passion for the sea, skills,
02:49 with ropes and with boats and with engines and stuff,
02:53 which are pretty essential, yeah, for everyday operations.
02:59 The demand for seaweed is rising across Europe,
03:02 as it's increasingly seen as part of a healthy diet.
03:06 Local organic producers like Jerry and Lorraine Gallagher
03:09 highlight the environmental benefits over foreign imports.
03:13 Harvested from the clean waters of Mulroy Bay,
03:15 this seaweed can even be eaten raw.
03:19 I'll just take a little bit.
03:20 It's absolutely delicious.
03:27 It has a beautiful, crunchy bite, very sweet.
03:31 The saltiness of the sea, it's beautiful.
03:36 It really is.
03:37 Would you like to try some?
03:38 The company supplies seaweed to the food industry.
03:49 Its new factory, located close to the farm,
03:51 processes 300 kilograms of seaweed per hour,
03:55 turning it into dry flakes.
03:57 These flakes are easy to store, transport,
04:00 and use in food products.
04:03 Such facilities help scale up seaweed farming in Europe,
04:07 while creating jobs for those in traditional coastal industries,
04:11 like fishing and mussel farming.
04:18 We have people from other aquaculture sectors
04:22 that work with us.
04:23 So mussels have a season which is the opposite to ours.
04:27 So it means that when we are busy,
04:29 they are quiet and vice versa.
04:30 And it's wonderful to be able to share those skills,
04:33 and also that knowledge.
04:36 The Irish government backs seaweed farming
04:38 as a sustainable way to diversify income and support
04:41 coastal communities that have faced significant reductions
04:44 in fishery quotas in recent years.
04:46 (APPLAUSE)
04:49 In Ireland, we have suffered an impact as a result of Brexit.
04:52 It's seen 15% of our national quota lost to our sector,
04:56 which is a big impact.
04:57 And the potential of seaweed, really,
04:59 offers a real opportunity there.
05:01 Ireland's unique position could make it a leading seaweed producer
05:05 in the European Union.
05:08 The Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea provide ideal conditions
05:11 for this emerging industry.
05:13 Currently, most European seaweed is wild harvested
05:16 and often used as soil fertiliser.
05:19 But new food-grade farming sites are popping up along the coastlines,
05:23 promising a significant increase in production.
05:27 Sustainably managed seaweed farms do more than grow healthy food
05:31 and create jobs for former fishers.
05:33 They also help restore ocean health and protect coastlines from erosion,
05:37 potentially turning the tide for Europe's coastal economies.
05:42 At the conference organised by the Seaweed Company,
05:45 speakers highlighted the environmental advantages of seaweed
05:48 over traditional agriculture
05:50 and discussed the need to streamline regulation and licensing.
05:54 Both European administration and industry stakeholders
05:57 share a vision of imminent growth for the sector.
06:01 Europe produces 0.2% of algae in the world,
06:06 but we import 500 million worth of algae every year.
06:10 And this is projected to grow because of increasing demand,
06:13 people wanting to eat healthier food, more sustainable food.
06:17 And this is why we have this EU algae initiative
06:20 to scale up production around Europe.
06:23 In food, as food ingredients, we will have a new life for seaweed.
06:28 It will grow.
06:29 It's a guarantee that we already have.
06:31 There is a big movement to have other sources of proteins,
06:36 other sources of fibres.
06:38 Seaweed could partially substitute meat in usual diets.
06:42 The Seaweed Company is marketing its own meat blend with 25% seaweed.
06:48 They claim this reduces the environmental impact by a quarter
06:51 and enhances nutritional value.
06:55 It gives a better flavour to the food,
06:57 but with the seaweed, we also will bring in fibre,
07:01 and that's especially carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates,
07:05 that have a function to play in your gut.
07:08 So it's good health.
07:09 And then the whole mineral profile that will add to your food,
07:14 essential macronutrients and micronutrients,
07:17 for example, calcium, magnesium.
07:19 And for former fishermen like Jerry Gallaher,
07:26 seaweed farming offers a way to continue their life's passion,
07:30 working at sea while providing healthy, locally grown food to more people.
07:36 Seaweed is definitely the future for us,
07:38 and we'll be producing more and more species,
07:42 and we'll be working with more and more people,
07:44 researching new species to cultivate.
07:47 Yeah, it's...
07:49 Hopefully it will save the planet.
07:51 (Subscribe to our channel for more of the world's top fishing videos!)
07:55 (music fades)
07:58 you