It is Seaweed Season!

Seaweeds in their glorious hues and formations now in season.

Authored by: Carmel T. Madigan

So spring is arriving late for terrestrial vegetation this spring, hampered by low temperatures, that were well below the 6 deg C required for 'growth' on land for weeks. Not so in the ocean however, as our coastline is enriched with the most fascinating species of seaweeds now at their spectacular best. This is the time of year to visit the shore and collect some valuable species for the medicinal and food closet. It is the perfect time to 'sustainably harvest' some Carrigeen, Dillisk, Thong Weed, Sugar Kelp, Tangle Kelp, and others for personal use. It is also the perfect time to feast your eyes on the amazing diversity of species, Punctured Ball Weed, Coral Weed, Oyster Thief, Fine Veined Crinkle Week, Bushy Rainbow Wrack, Brown Tuning Fork Weed, Red Rags, Cock's Comb, Berry Wart Cress, Divided Net Weed, and the list keeps on giving and giving.

Hommage is paid to sea-weed gatherer Paddy Hanrahan at Cappa Pier by way of a bronze statue, his crop would have included the Egg Wrack and remanants of the Seaweed Milling Factory at Kilrush used to mill seaweed for animal feed much of which was exported.

I adore seaweeds, watching their every move all year long. So we all know what happens on land in the spring time, but each time I ask, children and adults alike, how does spring present itself on a rocky shore.. I am met with blank faces! This post is all about the seaweeds that regenerate having pretty much remained dormant and partially shedded over the winter months. (There are a couple of seaweeds that buck this trend and are at their best during the winter months..e.g Pepper dulse) The speed of their take-off is remarkable. Certainly their regeneration commences much earlier than new growth commences on land, and seaweeds can sprout from a tiny button on the rock and have reached three metres in frond length in the course of approx one month. The sad fact is that nobody even notices these things.

Oyster Thief (an invasive species), an assemblage of Red, brown and green seaweeds on a lower shore rock and the much less common Brown-tuning fork Weed at Ross Beach, where density and diversity meet in springtime.

Having been out visiting Quilty Shore this week with a group of children, I was just simply over whelmed with the lengths and lovely fresh shiny-ness of the Sugar kelp together with its absolute abundance on the shore. It was very evident that it had been turbulent though and there was a very significant abundance of seaweeds washed up (these are mostly kelps, and Quilty shore is very strong on kelps). I know that local people collect this seaweed for conditioning their soil and that when the Seaweed factory was open in Kilrush, probably 40 years ago, that seaweeds from Quilty were brought to the factory in bulk. Sustainable harvesting of seaweed means that one cuts the tops of the seaweed, leaving the 'holdfast' behind to regenerate. Nowadays, to commercially harvest seaweeds, one needs a licence.

A holdfast is the 'root-like' system of a seaweed that attaches onto rock, like land plants but just not drawing out nutrients from the rock.

Above the invasive and edible Saragassum muticum (Japanese wireweed), Roseweed and an assemblage featuring Thongweed, Bunny-eared Bead Weed and Ulva spp

Now, I can't wait to visit Ross beach, this next weekend. For one thing I am guiding a seaweed tour of this richly diverse beach on Sunday April 29th next at 11am as part of the Loophead Wellness Weekend. There are over 85 recorded species of seaweed on this particular beach, which I researched one by one over a five year period between 2009 and 2014. It was this particular research that took me into the secret world of seaweeds, a world that few know about. These riches lying on our shore provide so many nutrients, protein, vitamins, minerals, calcium, magnesium, selenium, potassium and with anti-viral, expectorant properties amongst some. There are species that provide inputs for dental implants. There are species that are simply delicious, on their own or added to other dishes, and seaweeds are versatile and add another dimension to recipes. They can thicken stews and soups, be used in omlettes, be used as condiments, be used in spagetti dishes, in sauces and eaten fresh, crisped or dried, and they can be stored (dried) indefinitely. We are so underdeveloped and under utilized when it comes to the seaweed riches of our shore. We do not compare in this regard with the culinary and medicinal appreciation of seaweeds in China, Japan, Canada and Korea for instance.

Red Rags a fleshy red species, Little Fat Sausage Weed and holdfasts of the Sugar Kelp conjuring up a sense of the diversity of species and form on the shore. These images are from Ross Beach, Loophead

This spring, right now in fact, make it your business to connect with seaweed, take home some samples to test out in savoury dishes...just small amounts. Don't let the season pass. This is the best time to pick freshly grown young seaweeds. Enjoy your journey into the secret life of seaweed.

Should you want to study seaweeds further before heading for the shoreline, you can find the whole story on my book 'Seasons, Species & Patterns of a North East Atlantic Rocky Shore' (pub. 2014) Carmel T. Madigan available from carmeltmadigan.com