Seaweed farm harvests bumper cash boost
A seaweed farm on the Ross of Mull expecting a healthy kelp crop this spring has just harvested £67,000 funding.
General manager of South West Mull and Iona Development Morven Gibson says the grant from Argyll and Bute Infrastructure Fund is invaluable.
It will help Aird Fada Seaweed Farm develop facilities to freeze and dry out its crop.
‘Our seaweed is growing well – it’s in a great spot in Loch Scridain on the Ross of Mull – and we expect to harvest a healthy kelp crop in April and May. The funding from the Argyll and Bute Infrastructure Fund will be invaluable in enabling us to develop facilities for freezing and drying our farmed seaweed, so that we can be flexible in meeting the requirements of the seaweed market,’ said Ms Gibson.
So far the six-hectare sugar kelp seaweed farm is the largest and only community-owned seaweed farm in Scotland.
The venture has already gained the support of SAMS (the Scottish Association of Marine Science), the Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Inverlussa Marine Services on Mull, among others.
A grant from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund last summer meant the project could install infrastructure on the site and that October it laid 6km of seeded line – about one third of the capacity of the farm.
Creating more jobs are included in the farm’s future plans.
The seaweed farm project was one of 10 community initiatives to get a share of investment totalling £740k from the Scottish Government’s Islands Infrastructure Fund.
Others included money to upgrade the community-owned fuel station on Jura, to make a new campsite on Colonsay and to help redevelop the old school on Kerrera into a community space.
A new report outlining future options for the Scottish seaweed industry has also just been welcomed by Scottish Government ministers.
Globally the seaweed industry is estimated to be worth €8.1 billion per year.
In Scotland, the review found the sector employs around 60 people, with small, artisan-style businesses leading the domestic sector but projections estimate this figure could increase substantially by 2040. Popular as a cooking ingredient, seaweed is also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
The mapping exercise was undertaken by the Seaweed Review Steering Group, an organisation with representatives from the fisheries, conservation, science, biotechnology and the seaweed industry sectors.