The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment confirmed this afternoon, at the Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, that MARA has paused its assessment of the seaweed harvesting licence application for Clew Bay, County Mayo.
The Department told the Committee the application had not been given priority, citing capacity issues within MARA, and pointed to broader regulatory gaps in the system.
Speaking after the session, Mayo TD Paul Lawless said: “This is a win for the native seaweed harvesters who’ve engaged with me on this from the start including harvesters from our coastal islands who travelled by boat to my public meeting in Newport. Their insight made a real difference today.”
Deputy Lawless said the pause reflects concerns he has repeatedly raised himself: that MARA cannot properly process an application of this scale while so much ambiguity remains over who owns, or holds rights over, the foreshore with the vast majority of harvesting rights around the coast still unregistered. “I’d encourage any harvester who hasn’t already done so to register their rights” Lawless said.
Today’s session was the second the Committee has held on seaweed harvesting since Deputy Lawless requested it be examined, following his public meeting in Newport, attended by hundreds of harvesters, farmers, coastal residents and ecologists.
The Deputy said the Department has agreed to carry out a full assessment of the licensing process and to engage directly with coastal communities and traditional harvesters. The Committee is also expected to publish a report to the Department setting out harvesters’ concerns, stating the current system is unworkable, and calling for that engagement.
“I cautiously welcome this. The Department have agreed to my request for property community consultation with coastal communities in Ireland. There is a lot of work to be done to ensure native seaweed harvesting rights are protected.” Deputy Lawless said.
He raised particular concern about the 2028 deadline for registering historic harvesting rights, saying the Maritime Area Planning Act is, as it stands, almost prohibitive for individuals. “The ‘ordinary and reasonable enjoyment’ provision meant to protect small-scale harvesting is so narrow that even a small seaweed bath company wouldn’t qualify under it.”
Deputy Lawless has proposed a tiered fee structure and a cooperative model, so small and traditional harvesters can navigate registration together rather than facing the same costs and process as large multinationals.
“Right now, the legislation treats the small harvester and the massive multinational the exact same way. That’s wrong,” he said. “I’ll keep pressing the Department until we see real, workable change for our coastal communities.”
