Petition with 7,000 signatures urges minister to block west coast seaweed harvesting plan

A petition calling on Minister Darragh O’Brien to intervene in a major seaweed harvesting proposal along Ireland’s western seaboard has attracted almost 7,000 signatures.

The petition, hosted on Uplift, is urging the minister to halt an application submitted by Acadian Seaplants, a large Canadian corporation which owns Irish seaweed processing company Arramara Teoranta.

Campaigners claim the company has applied for permission to harvest “tens of thousands of tonnes” of seaweed wrack from extensive stretches of the west coast, sparking concern among coastal communities about the potential environmental and cultural impact.

According to the petition, maps linked to the application show harvesting areas spanning multiple bays and coastal locations across Mayo and Galway, including Sruwaddacon, Broadhaven, Blacksod, Achill, Clew Bay and Killary Harbour, as well as Ballynakill, Cleggan to Aghrus Point, Clifden, Mace Head and Galway Bay to Black Head.

In total, the petition lists 21 separate harvesting zones included in the application.

Supporters of the campaign argue that granting such rights to a major international corporation could leave local communities with little say over how coastal environments are managed.

“Handing over the rights to a large corporation would leave communities with no input into how their land and environment was being treated,” the petition states.

The campaign also highlights the ecological importance of seaweed forests, describing them as essential for protecting coastlines from erosion, supporting marine biodiversity, and acting as nursery habitats for fish populations.

Petition organisers say seaweed is not only a natural coastal defence, but also part of the heritage and folklore of communities along the western seaboard.

They warn that large-scale harvesting could result in coastlines being “scraped clean” in the pursuit of corporate profit, and insist that the long-term environmental consequences could outweigh any short-term economic gain.

The petition has been launched ahead of an anticipated public consultation process on the proposal.

Campaigners say they are gathering signatures now to demonstrate widespread opposition from communities “up and down the west coast” before any decision is made.

“This application has been submitted to your department, you have the power to stop this,” the petition states, directly addressing the Minister.