© SAMS
The course, the first of its kind in the UK, took the participants through the practical skills required and highlighted important considerations such as building a nursery, biosecurity and selective breeding.
Eight participants complete inaugural course
It was run by SAMS Enterprise, the commercial arm of SAMS, through its Seaweed Academy programme. All eight places available were filled, with one participant coming from as far as Portugal.
“There has been a lot of interest in this course, which we devised based on industry demand. We have run our Seaweed Academy courses for the past three years, but there was no training available that got into the detail required to allow people to establish their own nursery – a crucial stage of seaweed cultivation. We’ve been able to offer a comprehensive course that will hopefully boost this part of the seaweed farming value chain,” said Seaweed Academy project manager Jenny Black, in a press release.
Participants came from a diverse range of backgrounds and industries, including prospective farmers, researchers and those who already run nurseries. Some were able to attend thanks to scholarships funded by WWF-UK and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
“The course was really interesting and I have learned a lot to take back to Wales with me. For example, it’s clear that biosecurity and taking time to do things are key to the success of a seaweed nursery. I ran a nursery before, but without much experience, so it’s great to see how the experts do it and learn where I was going wrong before!’’ said Beth Marshall of Câr y Môr, Wales’ first regenerative seaweed and shellfish farm.
According to Marshall, Câr-y-Môr now plans to establish a new nursery in Wales to help support the development of additional seaweed farms.
The course itself was developed with funding from the Michael Uren Foundation and WWF-UK, while several participant places were supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
SAMS Enterprise plans to run the course annually, updating its content in line with the latest research at SAMS. To find out more about training through the Seaweed Academy, visit their website.
