Wild seaweed harvesting around Scotland
Our Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the potential environmental effects of wild harvesting of seaweeds and seagrasses to inform future regulation has now been published for consultation by Marine Scotland.
The wild seaweed harvesting sector has indicated its aspiration to develop industrial-scale harvesting around Scotland.
In response, Marine Scotland contracted ABPmer to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the potential environmental effects of wild harvesting of seaweeds and seagrasses to inform future regulation. As part of the policy making process, this work has now been published for consultation and is available at the Scottish Government website.
This SEA shows how the nature and extent of any potential impacts, depends on the method and scale of harvesting, and the composition and sensitivity of the corresponding marine ecosystems. It also reveals the interdependence of licensing, the seaweed industry and its stakeholders, the processes currently in place, and the combined role that they will need to play to ensure the sustainable growth of wild harvesting industries into the future.
Significant adverse effects could occur as a result of large scale (i.e. industrial) mechanised harvesting of seaweeds (namely kelps and wracks).
Although there is no evidence that small scale artisanal hand cutting or gathering of living and beach-cast seaweeds at discrete locations has significant environmental effects, there is the potential for significant cumulative effects as a result of multiple harvesting activities.
Following on from this SEA, Marine Scotland intends to prepare a guidance note for regulators and applicants. This note will include information on key issues associated with wild harvesting that have been identified in the SEA. It will also provide information on issues that fall outside the scope of the assessment but will need to be considered at the project-level by industry.
The guidance note will also present mitigation measures that might be required at the project-level to ensure future wild harvesting activities do not result in any significant adverse effects and are undertaken sustainably.
GIS data layers that have been created by ABPmer as part of this SEA, namely the distribution of the current seaweed and seagrass resource, can be viewed on Marine Scotland’s National Marine Plan interactive (NMPi) website.
The consultation on wild seaweed harvesting closes on 15 February. Learn more at GOV.SCOT.
Prepared by Elena San Martin, Environmental Impact Specialist
Header photo courtesy Andrew Pearson
Futher information
Visit NMPi; click on ‘add layers’ then just search seaweed, our layers are at the bottom of the results.