A kelp canopy underwater.
Photo: Adobe Stock
A new seaweed industry working group has been established in Ireland, with its first meeting held last month at the headquarters of Irish seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin. The initiative brings together 11 producers from across the sector and aims to improve coordination and support future development of the seaweed farming, which is growing in importance in Ireland.
The meeting was opened by Richard Donnelly, BIM’s interim chief executive, following seaweed farmers' requests for a BIM-facilitated forum to boost collaboration within the sector.
The working group is primarily focused on seaweed farmers, with its stated aim "to create a community platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration on sector development". It will also work on establishing a brand identity for cultivated Irish seaweed, BIM said.
The seafood development agency said the creation of the group delivers on Pillar 1 of Ireland’s Macro-Algal Strategy, which calls for the establishment of a sectoral community, and the model follows similar initiatives in other parts of Ireland's aquaculture industry, including the Irish Oyster Collective.
As part of its support, BIM will facilitate quarterly workshops for the participants, with the agency’s 2026 Seaweed Development Programme to provide further help with technology transfer, innovation support, site activation and guidance on food safety standards and regulation.
BIM said priority areas for the group will include direct seeding technology, exploration of research and development opportunities and continued workshops to help guide growth.
Ireland’s seaweed sector was valued at €495,000 in 2024 and produced 496 tonnes of biomass, according to BIM’s annual Aquaculture Report. BIM also said its 2027 seaweed work programme will be developed in consultation with the new working group.
