Company seeking Mayo seaweed harvesting licence responds to claims by expert
The company seeking a seaweed harvesting licence has responded to a report published yesterday by The Connaught Telegraph in which concerns were raised concerns over their proposals.
Dr. Kieran Guinan, research manager of Tralee-based BioAtlantis Ltd., claimed a number of figures quoted in the article 'appear to be incorrect or based on outdated information'.
His statement outlined: “The following figures quotes in the article appear to be incorrect or based on outdated information.
1. "BioAtlantis application proposes harvesting nearly 60,000 tonnes more seaweed than Clew Bay can sustainably produce”
2. “the proposed extraction of approximately 104,144 wet tonnes over the licence period dwarfs the bay's estimated maximum sustainable yield of 64,759 tonnes”
He outlined: "The figure of 64,759 tonnes cited in the article was an earlier estimate of the total biomass of Ascophyllum nodosum in Clew Bay included in BioAtlantis’ initial application documentation.
"This figure was derived from earlier ecological work including studies by the Marine Institute (Hession et al., 1998: http://hdl.handle.net/10793/202) and subsequent biomass assessments.
However, this estimate was subsequently updated following an pre-licence ecological survey carried out by ecologists at University College Dublin (UCD) between April and July 2016.
"The updated figures are as follows:
UCD survey (2016): Estimated total biomass of Ascophyllum nodosum in Clew Bay at 55,606 tonnes. Based on the commonly applied 20% sustainable harvest rate, the study estimated an annual harvest of approximately 11,121 tonnes per year.
BioAtlantis application: proposes a maximum sustainable harvest of 11,018 tonnes per year, which is slightly below the yield estimated by the UCD study - the figure was reduced further to account for removal of areas with existing appurtenant (folio) harvesting rights, to ensure no overlap with those individuals.
For context, an earlier Marine Institute study (Table 3c, page 29 of Hession et al., 1998: http://hdl.handle.net/10793/202) estimated that the sustainable harvest of Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed along the County Mayo coastline is approximately 16,600 tonnes per year, the majority of which is located in Clew Bay. BioAtlantis’ proposed sustainable harvest of 11,018 tonnes per year is substantially below this figure, and is in line with figures for Clew Bay as provided by UCD in their 2016 biomass survey.
"The suggestion in the article that the proposal exceeds sustainable yield by “nearly 40,000 tonnes” appears to arise from comparing a multi-year harvest total with an estimate of standing biomass, which are not comparable or valid measures.
"In addition, Ascophyllum nodosum is a renewable resource that regenerates following hand harvesting, typically within 11–17 months in the west of Ireland, as documented by the Marine Institute’s research (see page iii of Kelly et al. 2001: http://hdl.handle.net/10793/207).
"For these reasons, the figures cited in the article do not reflect the most up-to-date ecological survey results, known A. nodosum regeneration rates, or the harvest levels proposed in the application.
"We would appreciate if you could review these figures and clarify the position for your readers.
Other claims:
Number of harvesters: Your contributor states that “BioAtlantis application proposes achieving its 11,018-tonne annual target with just 16 full-time workers, a requirement of 688 tonnes per person, nearly 40 per cent above even the most intensive harvesting rate on record."
BioAtlantis response: To clarify, page 20 of the main application document states the following: "Subject to obtaining a licence to harvest in Clew Bay, BioAtlantis will provide contracting opportunities for up to 20 local full-time harvesters in Clew Bay to service both the existing and future production requirements. This will include 16 full time or 32 part-time hand harvesters from the region. The harvesters will ideally be people who have previous experience or whose families have farms or fishing interests in the area. BioAtlantis will work with the harvesters to apply sustainable methods of harvesting, collection and conservation of the resource”.
BioAtlantis response: As outlined above, the application outlined that BioAtlantis will provide contracting opportunities for 16 full-time or 32 part-time harvesters. The amount harvested per person will vary depending on harvesting conditions or working arrangements.
Mulranny: Your contributor states that: “Mulranny Pier is referenced in parts of the paperwork but appears outside the red boundary on the maps, creating what McFadden describes as "confusion about the actual operational areas and harvest zones."
BioAtlantis response: Harvesting will not take place in Mulranny. This is specified throughout the various application documents and environmental reports. For example: page 130 of the main application document specifically states that “BioAtlantis will not harvest beyond Rossmurrevagh, thus avoiding much of the Mulranny area."
Infrastructure: Your contributor states that: “Hosting harvesting at the proposed scale could accelerate wear on critical infrastructure, interfering with maintenance schedules, emergency access, and day-to-day use by other coastal users.”
BioAtlantis response: Appendix 4 of the application (ref ‘Code of Practice’) includes mitigation measures to ensure no impacts with other coastal users, including requirements to “Follow pre-planned harvest schedules in order to avoid potential congestion at pick up points such at piers that may be busy at certain times” - this is outlined in section 3.14 of the attached (also on MARA's website: https://www.maritimeregulator.ie/application/mul240043/ ).
Flooding: the article states “Perhaps the most timely concern in McFadden's submission relates to coastal flood risk.”
BioAtlantis response: Ascophyllum nodosum grows in very sheltered intertidal areas where wave energy is already low, so it has limited influence on coastal hydrodynamics. Hand harvesting removes only part of the seaweed while leaving the holdfast intact, allowing it to regenerate and maintaining biomass levels along the shoreline.