Forebears knew value of sea harvest

WE’VE come a long way from the days when cod liver oil was dosed in unwelcome spoonfuls to children and carrageen moss was sampled by ageing grandmothers, who seemed to find it more palatable than we did the oil.

Cod liver oil didn’t taste too well, but they said it was good for us. At least that’s what our mothers assured us. People, indeed, always realised there was natural, health-giving goodness in the sea, but they did not know how to get at it. Now, Ireland has become internationally recognised for research in the food and marine areas.

Experts from Australia, Canada and other countries recently attended a conference on the subject in Dublin. They told of advances globally, in the field, and were also keen to gather information about what’s happening here.