Thanks to a grant from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, in Summer 2021 we were able to install infrastructure at our 6 hectare site at Aird Fada in Loch Scridain.
Farmed seaweed grows from seeds embedded in lines attached to the infrastructure. In October 2021 we laid 6km of seeded line - this is about a third of the capacity of the farm. We are hoping for a good growing season before harvest time next Spring!
Seaweed can be sold as a wet, chilled, frozen or dry material and we are developing options for shore side processing facilities at Bendoran to give us the flexibility to respond to market preferences.
Thanks to funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise we have employed a Graduate Placement, Leigh Eisler, to carry out evaluation, monitoring and research to help us plan for the development of the farm. There will also be contract work for local fishermen.
In the future we plan to increase our seaweed harvest and create more employment and training opportunities. We also hope to add value to the raw seaweed, either by developing our own valued added products or by selling seaweed to local businesses.
If you’d like to get involved with our SWMID projects then find out more about volunteering below.