Reward offered after sabotage of seaweed harvest

THE owner of a seaweed growing facility in Dunmanus Bay is offering a substantial reward for any information leading to a criminal conviction, following the sabotage of his equipment which has destroyed his year’s work.

Paul Cobb said he began harvesting the seaweed in May, and on Saturday June 3rd he had more than half his crop of wakame and sugar kelp harvested.

‘We had been working seven days a week to get through it and on Sunday June 4th we returned at 1pm and to our shock and dismay everything was gone – the marker buoys, tripping lines, long line, barrels and floats.’

Paul says it had to be sabotage because it’s impossible to lose six separate moorings at once, especially during the good weather at the time. Last week Paul and a colleague dived at the site and discovered that nothing but the moorings and chain were left.

‘The ropes were cut close to the chain. Only a working boat with winches would have been able to raise the heavy tackle. We are appealing for any information if anything was seen either on Saturday or Sunday June 3rd and 4th off Carbery and Furze islands,’ he said.

‘We are offering a substantial reward for evidence leading to a conviction. A total of 200m of longline was cut loose, laden with several tons of sugar kelp.’ Paul, who is devastated by the loss of the harvest, says it must have been allowed to drift out to sea. ‘This also constitutes a serious navigational hazard to shipping,’ he said.

Paul worked on Ireland’s first seaweed growing facility for 12 years in Roaring Water Bay and never experienced any sabotage.

‘Seaweed farming is not to be confused with wild harvesting,’ he said. ‘It is a process of propagating the spores of a sea vegetable and growing them on a longline. This is the most sustainable way to meet the growing demand for seaweed for human consumption, medical uses, animal supplements, cosmetics and industrial derivatives like biodegradable packaging.’

This was his first season operating in Dunmanus Bay and he is worried about the sabotage recurring.

‘About €20,000 of public money, as well as our life savings, have gone into the farm and we ask support from the community to safeguard the bay from this misguided vandalism to allow our enterprise to continue,’ he told The Southern Star.

He says seaweed farming is good for the marine environment and encourages fish stocks by providing cover and grazing. Like a marine reserve, it helps regenerate waters that have been decimated by overfishing and pollution, and encourages biodiversity to flourish. It also absorbs agricultural nitrate run-offs, sinks carbon out of the atmosphere, and is a good source of employment in West Cork.

‘We only grow native species and our company is low tech, as far as possible carbon neutral and we do not use poly prop rope which disintegrates into the environment but long-lasting nylon and the longlines are made from recycled clothes.’

Paul has reported the matter to Bantry gardaí but believes it will be a difficult crime to prosecute without the assistance of the public.