Report: Will mechanical harvesting of seaweed lead to ecological disaster?

With licences being secured and sought to mechanically harvest seaweed in Bantry Bay and parts of the west coast residents fear the damage may be irreparable, writes Louise Roseingrave.

Irish coastal dwellers have been harvesting seaweed by hand for hundreds of years but that’s about to change in Bantry Bay.

Following a five-year application process, the first licence for the mechanical harvesting of seaweed in Ireland and Britain has been secured by a Kerry-based bioengineering company, BioAtlantis Ltd. CEO John T O’Sullivan hopes to begin harvesting the bay’s underwater kelp forests on a five-year rotation basis later this year.